Dragon Rose
by vbollman
Summary: Harry meets two new friends and is told one of their biggest secrets. Who is their father and what does this mean for HarrySlash
1. Chapter 1

A/N. For those of you reading this for the first time, you have my many thanks for you time. For those of you reading once again, you may notice that I have rewritten many parts, and have added to the story. Which of course made me redo where the chapters ended. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your patience. Vbollman.

Disclaimer- don't own them, don't want them (except for Snape) Just like playing with them.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their Betaing job. Much luv to both of you.

Chapter One.

Morgan-Ann Rose Annerson and her twin brother Galahad Tristan, stepped through the barrier at Kings Cross Station, and entered Platform 9 ¾ early on September 1st. It was only 6:00 am, and the train didn't leave the station until 11:00, but they were both in need of doing some shopping in Diagon Alley before they left for the new school term.

Picking a secluded corner to place her bags, Morgan sighed in disgust at the turn of events in her life. Pulling out a folded, much creased letter from the inner pocket of her jacket, she reread what her father wrote to the two of them a month ago.

_My beautiful Dragon Rose and her Knight Gallant_

_I am extremely pleased, that you both will be joining me at Hogwarts for this coming school year, even though I wish that it could have happened under better circumstances. Even though your mother and I rarely got along anymore I did care for her, in my own way, and did not wish for her death, however it came about._

_This next year will be extremely difficult for the two of you, in a number of different ways, the biggest one of course being starting a whole new life without your mother by your side. This is also made more complex by the fact that we cannot acknowledgment each other due to my spot in this war. No one, outside of those who already do, can know that I am your father._

_I will do what I can to make your new life as easy as possible for you, but I know it will not be enough. Especially as Draco Malfoy will be in the same year as yourselves, and is a member of my House. Do try not to do anything that would be irreversible to hurt him please._

_If you find someone that you feel you can trust without a doubt, I give you my permission to share your secrets. Just use discretion, and choose your confidant(s) carefully._

_I will do my best to join you early on the 1st to bring you to Diagon Alley. In the mean time, I will also do my best to convince the old meddler to allow us to portkey to Hogwarts instead of making you suffer by taking the train. Merlin knows that it will not be safe for Draco if you catch him without a plan to withdraw and hide from you My Rose._

_See you soon my Knight and Rose_

_All my love _

_Papa._

Sighing once again, she refolded the letter and hid herself in the partial shadows, cast by the early morning sun, and watched as her brother inspected their surroundings. She really hated the fact that they had to move from their farm in Canada, but was glad that they would be closer to their father. Galahad on the other hand, she knew, was glad to away from the farm. He had hated living in the middle of nowhere, and home schooled.

Hopefully joining the rest of the Wizarding World wouldn't be to stressful. But then again, she would need to deal with Draco Malfoy on a daily basis. And she had promised her Father not to hurt him to badly, damn her luck anyway.

hp

Harry Potter stumbled his way through Kings Cross station hoping he could get to platform 9 ¾ before he was spotted by anyone who might be watching the station. He knew that as soon as he crossed the barrier, he would be able to replace the glamors hiding his condition without being noticed by the Ministry, because of all the other ambient magic used on the platform. Only a low level glamor was needed until he could reach Hogwarts and Poppy. She healed his injuries every September, and helped him place a higher level glamor, to hide everything that she could not heal.

At the end of last term, Poppy had told him that she would be informing the Headmaster if he came back with more then the usual injuries. Wither he liked it or not. The only reason she had not told anyone before then, was because Harry made her promise, on her magic, each year not too.

Relief washed through him as he finally crossed the barrier, he was finally safe. Or as safe as he could be with a snake-faced madman after him.

That relief though, was extremely short lived.

Much to his surprise, Harry found himself face to face with another teen his age. He stood about a foot taller then Harry, with a long lean body, honey brown eyes, and black hair with streaks of deep copper red. Stumbling back slightly, Harry hit a corner of the wall behind him, and he hissed in pain and grabbed his ribs.

Galahad, even in the surprise of coming across someone else this early in the morning, had also taken a few minutes to study the smaller boy in front of him. Emerald green eyes had dulled to jade with the pain, that the boy was trying his best to hide. A to thin body, but visibly muscled all the same, and shaggy black hair topped of the look. The overly large clothing gave off the impression of an almost fully starved orphan. Although the crowning future, was the lightening shaped scar on the boys forehead, telling for all the world to see that Harry Potter was now on the platform. What concerned Galahad the most though, were the bruises, and cuts over Harry's body, along with the pain his ribs were obviously giving him.

Galahad made a split second decision, knowing in his heart, that it was the right choice. "Hey Morgan-Rose. Get your lazy arse over here. Your healing expertise are needed." He called out to where he knew his sister was hiding in the shadows. Grabbing hold of Harry's arm, he gently maneuvered the smaller boy onto one of the benches, before he could get away, and waited impatiently for Morgan to join them. Extending his hand in greeting he was extremely glad when Harry responded. "Hi, I'm Galahad Tristan Annerson, and that's my sister Morgan-Ann Rose. What year are you in?" He asked in a friendly tone, although he already knew that answer.

Giving a small pain filled smile Harry answered. "Harry James Potter. Nice to meet you Galahad. I'm starting my 6th year. I take it you and your sister are new, what year are you going to be in and do you know what House you will be sorted into?" Grateful that he wasn't been shown the awe and fear he normally saw in those around him, Harry allowed himself to relax slightly, it seemed this other boy was willing to treat him like just another normal kid.

"Don't really care what House I go into." Galahad told him, much to Harry's surprise. "Although father would be most pleased if we where both sorted into Slytherin. Personally I really don't see that happening. We'll both be starting our 6th year also." Galahad continued.

Before Harry could ask him more, a hand settled on his shoulder, causing him to panic and fall off of the bench. A young woman who must be Morgan, since she looked a lot like Galahad, reached down and helped him up. "Merlin, I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean to startle you. As my brother already told you I'm Morgan, and yes, before you ask we are twins." she said with a smile, and hiding any concern she knew would be in her eyes.

Holding his ribs and breathing through the pain, Harry studied the second figure. You could tell they were related as they both looked almost identical, the only real difference being their hair. Morgans hair was red with streaks of black, the exact opposite of her brothers. Accepting the hand that she held out to help him carefully stand once more he attempted to answer he, "Nice to meet you Morgan." He finally managed to gasp out.

Morgan, like her brother watched Harry with concern that she finally let show. "Are you okay? Those injuries look awful." She said softly

Harry snorted and instantly regretted it. "I'll survive." was all he said in response, 'after all, I've had worse,' he continued silently.

Morgan narrowed her eyes, not really liking the answer she had been given. "Alright then, I guess you have a two choices. Take off your shirt so I can heal you, or I have Galahad remove your shirt so I can heal you. Either way that shirt is coming off." She said, immediately taking charge.

Harry blinked at her in confused surprise, before he finally found his voice, and a little of his anger. "Is there an option that does not require me to remove my shirt? I would honestly prefer to leave it on." He said with a little of a bite to his words.

Morgan crossed her arms against her chest. "Nope. Sorry. Those are your only options." She said with a mild glare, ignoring Harry's tone of voice, after all, her father's bite was much worse.

Harry looked at her for a minute, and felt his anger melt away, no matter how much he didn't want it to. The pose she took, along with the glare that went with it, reminded him of someone but he could not place his finger on who. Finally he answered, "Look, I'm not trying to be rude." He told her, "but the only way you will have me remove my shirt, is by giving me your oath that nothing you see, or nothing I do or say, will go any further." A slight note of defeat had crept into his voice and was reflected also in his posture.

Galahad stepped in before his sister could say or do anything that she would regret later, and tried to reassure Harry. "We do understand what you are saying. I have read enough in the papers about you to understand that you don't want anything getting back to them. But I will tell you now that we can be trusted."

"I'm sorry." Harry said, shaking his head. "I can't take anyone or anything for granted any more. It's cost me to much over the years."

Morgan grabbed hold of her brother's arm, as an idea came to her. "Excuse us for a few minutes. We need to discuss what to do next." She told Harry and without waiting for a reply, she dragged her brother off onto the other side of the platform.

Harry watched for a moment as the two of them argue on the other side of the platform, but he was in too much pain to really care what was going on. It only took them about five minutes to come to some sort of decision, and from the way they looked he could not tell who actually won the argument.

Galahad gave his sister a dirty look before turning to Harry. "Like I said before, we do understand where you are coming from. What we would like to do, is give you knowledge of us in exchange. What we were arguing over is if we should take your word not to tell anyone, or use a spell that allows the three of us to share each other's secrets without fear of anyone, but those who already know, to talk about them. I have decided that the choice should be yours."

"And Morgan wanted to make the decision herself." Harry said with conviction.

"Yes. I don't think that would be fair to you though."

Harry thought about it for a few minutes, mentally arguing with himself to trust these two, who he had just meet, with his secrets. Shifting slightly as his ribs twinged, he came to a decision. "I would like to use the spell. This way I would have a way to talk about the things that are eating away at my sanity. I have been told often enough that if I don't talk about them, then they will end up killing me before Voldemort has a chance to do it." He told the two of them bitterly, before adding in a slight whisper, "besides, my instincts are telling me to trust you with this, and my instincts are rarely wrong."

"Thank you Harry, to tell you the truth, my sister and I feel the same way about you. But I must warn you that the spell we will be using has some side effects, that you should be aware of. It will also connect you to one other person."

Harry didn't know what to think about that, and this information almost made him back out. "What side effects and who else would it be connected to?" He asked Galahad, hoping that he would put his doubts at ease.

Morgan smiled slightly, and answered for her brother. "Depending on the amount you actually are willing to trust the other person, depends on the side effects. The deepest amount of trust will allow us to be able to Mind Speak, if you only allowed yourself to trust a slight bit, the worst effect would be someone who you can yell and vent at without worrying about it getting out to the rest of the world. The only other person who would be connected to you would be our Father, and the reason for this is because the spell is Blood Magic, and will effect those who have a close Blood tie to us, and vise versa."

"No worries about that from my side, there are no close blood ties. Can you explain to me how I would be connected to your Father?"

"Nothing really drastic Harry. You would also be able to tell him the truth, and not have him tell anyone. He would also be able to tell when you are lying. And depending on the relationship you forge with each other, will also dictate the level of the trust bond between the two of you." Galahad explained.

Harry thought about that for awhile weighing the pro's and con's. 'An adult I can trust,and who will believe me, hmm.' he thought to himself, "I think I can handle that." He said out loud.

Both of the twins smiled in pleasure. "Good. Shall we begin then?" They said together.

Harry groaned silently in dismay at the double answer, but nodded his head in agreement anyway, and watched as the siblings went to work. Within a matter of minutes they had everything they needed to complete the spell, especially since they only needed two things. A small crystal bowl, and a silver dagger. At this point Harry started to get nervous and asked in concern. "What about the restrictions for underage magic?"

"They won't be able to detect this Harry, it's one of the benefit for having creature blood." Morgan told him with a smile.

Harry let the matter drop with a slight smile of his own. He knew that the laws around those with creature blood were different then those that where pure human, instead he just made a mental note to make sure that he questioned the two of them about what kind of creature blood they had.

The three of them made themselves as comfortable as possible on the ground while making sure their knees touched, and placed the bowl in the middle. With the dagger, Galahad slashed each of their left hands and they allowed the blood to drip into the bowl, when the level of blood reached a certain mark, Morgan started to chant and Harry almost couldn't contain his surprise. The words were in a different language, he knew, but what caused his surprise was the fact that they were close enough to parseltongue for him to understand.

We three

Together be.

Share our trust,

With minds at ease.

Secrets shared,

With spoken words,

And,

Open hearts.

Bind us now,

Together we trust.

With the last word, the three of them put their palms together to allow their blood to mix. As soon as skin met skin, bright white light surrounded them.

:Wow: Harry said in his mind.

:Indeed: Both twins said at the same time, and the same way, once again reminding him of someone.

"I take it that we all went in with full trust in the others, since we can now talk using Mind Speak?"

"We must have. I didn't know that is was possible to trust someone this much." Morgan said in awe.

"Me either." Galahad informed them.

Morgan quickly shook of her awe and gave Harry 'The Look'. "Shirt off Mr. Potter, and let me see how bad the damage is."

Harry knowing that it would be easier and less painful to obey, finally complied with her request, and carefully slid his shirt over his head. Shocked gasps met his ears as the twins saw the damage.

"Harry what happened? Who did this to you?" Morgan asked with a mixture of anger and disgust in her voice.

Harry sighed in resignation, knowing he would not be able to get out of the questions coming his way. "To answer both question, my Uncle. He hates magic, almost as much as he hates me." Harry told them, and after receiving a pointed look from Galahad, figured he better explain a little bit more.

"This past summer he took things further then he has before, I'm not really sure what exactly set him off, but something happened and he blamed it on me like usual. In retribution he destroyed everything I owned from school, or at least everything he could find anyway. My surrogate Godfather asked me for my invisibility cloak, the map of the school that I have, my broom and my photo album for something he needed to do, and I had just sent them off with my owl Hedwig, when my Uncle came into my room. I really don't remember much after that, and I woke up a few days later, only to find that I was once more locked in the cupboard under the stairs. They let me out a week ago, and pretty much ignored me for the rest of my time there. Or at least they did until early this morning, the damage you see now was a going away gift from my uncle."

"Harry that's horrible. Why didn't you tell anyone?" Morgan asked in concern.

"I've tried to tell the Headmaster, he keeps saying that I'm stretching facts to suit my needs. The only other Professor who I could have trusted with this information hates me."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Go to school, have Madam Pomfrey place a stronger glamor then I can do on my scars, try to get through another year without getting any more people close to me killed, and then go back to the Dursleys next summer. I'll only have to stay there for a few weeks and then I'm free to do what I want. Or at least as free as I can be with a madman on the loose." He gave the twins a small smile. "In other words I'm going to survive to live another day."

"I don't like that idea very much." Morgan told him with a glare, while healing the last of his injuries.

"There is really not much more I can do."

"You can tell our Father, he would know that you are telling the truth." Galahad pointed out. "Besides he's told us about you in his letters. He respects you greatly."

Harry was about to respond when he felt a slight tingle across his spine, and he instinctively knew what that tingle meant. "Do one of you know how to cast a strong glamor? I really need one done now." He asked, desperation coloring his voice.

"We both do Harry, why?" Galahad asked in concern even as he pulled out his wand.

"There's no time to explain, please, I just need you to cast a glamor now." Harry's desperation was turning into panic as the tingle became more pronounced.

Galahad knew that he would get an answer sooner or later and had just raised his wand to cast the glamor when a dark figure crossed the barrier and into his line of vision.

"To late." Harry moaned, and dropped his head in resignation.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Dumbledore's Golden Boy." A voice sneered from behind Harry, causing the twins who where facing the barrier to stiffen in shock.

"What the hell do you want Snape." Harry snarled back, not bother to turn and look at the Potions Master.

"I'm here to escort two of our newest students to Diagon Alley in order for them to do their school shopping. It seems though, that you've already put them under your spell."

"Any spell casting that has been done here this morning has not been done by me, not that you would care anyway. Just one more reason for you to try and expel me." Harry said as he turned and finally faced the man, trying to keep his voice neutral as he did.

"I but do my best to make sure all students are treated the same way." Snape answered smoothly back.

Before Harry could reply to his least favorite Professor, Morgan who had finally shaken off her shock, jumped up from where she was sitting, and ran to Snape throwing her arms around his waste in a hug. "Papa!" she cried. "Be nice to Harry. He needs our help."

Harry looked over to Galahad, it was his turn to be in shock. "Papa!? Professor Snape is your Father?!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

Galahad gave Harry a wide smile before joining his sister. "Father I've missed you."

Snape relaxed enough to give both his children a hug, before stepping back and looking them over sternly. "I thought I told you that no one could know that I was your father." His whole body stiff in anger, even as he tried to keep it out of his voice.

"Actually Father I believe your words were, '_If you find someone that you feel you can trust without a doubt, I give you my permission to share your secrets. Just use discretion, and choose your confidant(s) carefully.'" _Galahad pointed out, not bothered in the least by his fathers attitude.

"So you trusted Harry Potter? I told you not to let other's now I was your father so you wouldn't be made into a target. Befriending Potter is worse then having me for your father."

Both twins answered him with a single look, letting him know that they didn't care that they had just made themselves targets.

Snape dropped his head, and rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. While he stood there, the twins rejoined Harry, standing on either side of him.

"How do you know that Mr. Potter will not say a word to anyone else?" he asked quietly.

Instead of giving him a verbal answer the twins held up their left hands, and Morgan grabbed hold of Harry's hand. Showing him the identical scars.

"I see. Mr. Potter..."

"Harry, Papa. His name is Harry." Morgan pointed out to him, determined that they all be on first name basis.

Harry was wise enough to keep his mouth shut, while Snape glared at his daughter. "_Harry_ then, you do realize how much damage this information could do, I assume?"

"Yes Sir..."

"Severus, Harry, he's name is Severus." Galahad pointed out, taking his cue from his sister.

Harry leveled a very Snape like glare at Galahad, before glancing at Snape for permission, when he received a resigned nod in response he continued. "I know better then most people what is at stake here Severus." Harry told his professor, almost stumbling over the man's name, in his mind though he was yelling at the twins.

:Are the two of you trying to get me killed?:

:Why would he kill you Harry?: Galahad asked.

:Do you remember the one Professor I was telling the two of you about? The one that hates me?:

The twins moved away from Harry to stand side by side. "That's not possible Harry." Morgan told him out loud.

"She's right, it's just not possible." Galahad agreed.

"Of course it's possible. What ever gave the two of you the idea that it wasn't?" Harry told them in expiration.

Galahad looked over to his Father. "Tell Harry you don't hate him." He demanded.

"And why would I do a foolish thing like that?" Snape asked with an arched brow.

"Because it's the truth Papa. You have never hated him, you've told us often enough how much you respected him." Morgan said with a glare.

"I have no idea on what the two of you are talking about." Snape sneered back, before getting a thoughtful look on his face and asking, "Would one of you like to tell me just how deep the trust bond goes?"

Harry threw his hands into the air, and turned his back on the three of them arguing. He had just reached down for his shirt, when the tingle on his spine increased and the shirt was snatched out of his hand.

"Tell me _Harry,_ just what did happen for you to get all of those scars?"

"That's what Harry needs your help for Father." Galahad said quietly.

Harry and Snape both ignored Galahad. "That all depends on which ones you want to know about. A few are quidditch scars as you know, one is from the bite of a Basilisk, a couple of them are curse scars. There's one from Wormtail when he took my blood to bring Riddle's body back. The rest of them are from my Uncle." Harry told him, keeping his voice steady throughout the listing of his scars, while making sure to keep his back turned towards Snape.

"Your Uncle?" Snape asked in disbelief.

"Yes _Severus, _my Uncle. Unlike what most people believe, you included, I do not come from a loving home. My family, if you really wanted to call them that, did everything possible to stomp the magic out of me. This summer he used a knife and the belt. Something pissed him off and he took it out on me and my school things."

"And your wand?"

"Needs to be replaced. The only thing I was able to retrieve after they were done playing with the fire pit, was Fawkes's feather. The only things that survived were the pictures of my parents and my invisibility cloak. Remus asked to borrow them so I sent them out with Hedwig. He also asked me to send him the Marauders Map and my broom."

"What about clothing?"

"You're the spy, Professor, you figure it out. Think about all the times you have seen me without my school robes on over the years."

"Did you tell the Headmaster?"

"According to him, I am only stretching the truth to met my needs."

"You could have told me during our extra lessons last year."

Harry finally turned around and looked Snape in the eye. "Would you have listened? Would you have cared? Or would it just be another bid for attention from Dumbledore's Golden Boy?" Harry saw the truth reflected back at him. "Do you know how much I hate those titles and the so called fame that goes with them?"

"You lived through hell at home, and then came to Hogwarts only to receive the same treatment from me." Snape whispered, comprehension dawning on his face. "And I never believed you about how much you hated your fame either." He continued, knowing it to be truth this time, as the spell cast by his children latched onto his own soul and magic.

"Yes Sir. But to tell you know the truth, when I first entered the Wizarding World, the fame almost did get to me, and the only thing that stopped it from doing so was you. For that I am truly grateful. I knew that no matter what happened, you would always be the same. Thank you." Dropping his voice he continued softly enough so that the twins could not hear. "I'm sorry for last year Severus. I hope you can forgive me."

Harry got all the answer he need when Snape responded. "As long as you can forgive me for the way I have treated you over the years."

Nodding his head, Harry reached for his shirt. And was totally surprised when Snape banished it.

"Galahad, I'm sure you have an extra set of clothing in your trunk that Harry can borrow. There is no way I will be seen in Diagon Alley with him wearing those rags."

Harry watched as Galahad ran to his trunk and started digging through it. Morgan just stared at Harry with worry in her eyes.

:Are you Okay Harry?:

:I will be Morgan-Rose, I will be. But I have to say that getting him to believe me was just to easy!:

:It's the Trust Bond. We've explained that to you.:

:It was still to easy.:


	2. Chapter two

A/N. For those of you reading this for the first time, you have my many thanks for you time. For those of you reading once again, you may notice that I have rewritten many parts, and have added to the story. Which of course made me redo where the chapters ended. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your patience. Vbollman.

Disclaimer- don't own them, don't want them (except for Snape) Just like playing with them.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their Betaing job. Much luv to both of you.

Chapter Two.

After changing into the clothes that Galahad handed to him, and having them shrunk to fit, the four of them made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. There they stopped and had breakfast before heading to the Alley to do some major shopping. Harry was not looking forward to being the center of attention once again, but to his surprise, Snape kept everyone away with his glare.

Giving Snape a grateful look, he murmured so only the older man could hear him, "Thanks for keeping them away. I really don't think I could handle dealing with the hero-worship today." He said, not expecting a response since they were in public.

Entering Gringotts, Snape waved the twins ahead, and pulled Harry to the side. "Do you have your key?"

"I haven't had my key since the summer before my third year. It was never really deemed safe enough for me to be here, so Mrs. Weasley always did my shopping for me."

Snape sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose again. "Do you know how hard it's going to be to convince the Goblins to give you a new one."

Harry smiled at him, "Not as hard as you may think Sir. The Goblins are aware of the fact that I may show up at times without my key. I notified them by letter at the end last term when I did not receive it from the Headmaster, and they sent me a letter back saying that I was to ask for my account manager when I did make it in.

"Who is your account manager?"

"That would be Donk I believe."

Snape did not get a chance to respond as he was cut off when a Security Goblin bowed before them, "Mr. Potter, please follow me. I will take you to your account manager." he said in a condescending tone, completely ignoring Snape.

Harry not liking how this Goblin treated his professor assumed a mask of slight cockiness combined with the authority that usually made others listen to him, "I have others with me." He said in a firm tone.

Reacting to the authority in Harry's voice and stance that was not apparent moments ago, the Security Goblin bowed his head before he answered, slight fear showing in his voice. "They may join you if you wish Sir, or you may point them out to me and I will make sure that they are informed of your whereabouts and shown to a place that they may wait for you." He along with the other Goblins knew how important this human was, and was honestly fearful that he had just annoyed the one Wizard who would also save their nation.

"If you would be kind enough and wait while I gather them to join us." Harry started to say, only to be cut off.

"No need Sir. Just give me their names, and I would be happy to do so for you."

"Very well then, please ask Morgan-Ann and Galahad Annerson to join me. Professor Snape will also be joining me of course."

"Yes of course. Excuse me for a just a moment while I gather the rest of your companions." he said, before walking away.

Snape had watched the whole thing with slight amusement. "Harry, I must honestly say that I have never seen any one handle the Goblin Attitude like that before."

"It's the curse of being The Boy Who Lived. I wouldn't have reacted that way if he hadn't treated you the way he did." Harry said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Thank you Harry."

Harry just smiled, as he saw the Goblin approaching with his two new friends following behind. "Please follow me." he said, anxious to get away from the humans, before he made a major mistake.

"After you." Harry told him with a slight smile.

The four of them followed the Security Goblin deeper into the bank. It wasn't long before the four humans found themselves moving towards what was obviously Goblin Territory, and Harry noticed that Snape seemed to become more and more tense the deeper they were led. After walking for about 20 minutes, the Goblin finally stopped before a richly carved door. "Here is where I leave you. Your account manager is just inside." He said before hurrying away.

"Well, that was nice of him." Harry said sarcastically.

"Indeed." came three identical responses, which Harry decided to ignore.

Knocking on the door, Harry was surprised to see it open right away by a familiar red head. "Bill!" He exclaimed.

"Hey there Harry. Professor." he said, while giving the twins a nod of the head in acknowledgment of their presence.

"Mr. Weasley. I'm sorry for your loss.

Thank you Professor." Bill replied with a slight nod of his head.

"Not to be rude Bill, but what are you doing here?" Harry asked

"I'm here unofficially to see you, and tell you that we still consider you our brother." He told Harry, noticing the look of pain and sadness passing through Harry's eyes, he continued. "It wasn't your fault that The Burrow was attacked. Or that mom and dad were to blind to see that Percy was a threat, until it was to late. Things would have turned out differently, if he would not have attacked at night." He said softly while wrapping his arms around Harry.

Bill stood that way for awhile, letting the slight teen mourn the loss of his two best friends and surrogate family. When Harry finally pulled away, Bill handed him a few tissues, so that he could clean up his face a bit. "Feeling better Harry?" He asked and received a nod in response.

Officially, Mr. Weasley is here on my request." A gravelly voice said from behind Harry. "But we will get to that later. I am Senior Manager Donk. Your accounts are in my care."

"Accounts?" Harry questioned.

"Yes Mr. Potter accounts. If you and your guests would be seated, I will do my best to explain everything to you."

Harry and the others seated themselves on the offered chairs and waited for Donk to explain.

"First Mr. Potter, I would like to offer you my condolences also. I have heard a lot from Mr. Weasley here, about you and the place you had amongst his family. It is dirty work indeed, when you find yourself betrayed by a member of your own family. If I remember correctly, this is the second time you have betrayed in this way.

My third Sir, although I do not recall the first time very well, I do remember extremely clearly the death of my Godfather at the hands of his cousin."

"That is understandable, and unlike in the human world, the Goblin Nation did not believe that Sirius Black was the reason behind your family's betrayal. We have managed to have the Ministry of Magic release his accounts, as he is now no longer among the living."

"Thank you Sir, but how does that effect me?"

"According to your Godfather's will, you are his Heir, and as such, you became the Head of the Black Family."

Harry stared at him in shock. "I'm sorry sir. I don't think I understand."

"You Mr. Potter, are now Lord Black, along with being the Lord to a few other families."

Everything after that became a blur for Harry.

hpss

Harry was finding it hard to wrap his mind around what happened through out that day. He had found new friends, and found out said friends where the children of Professor Snape. He found out that he was the richest man in the Wizarding world, with four seats on the Wizengamot, and three on the Hogwarts Board of Directors. He also found out that he had more property then he knew what to do with. On top of all that found out that he was just not the Head of two Pure Blood Houses, the Blacks and Potters, but three more on top of that. The Annerson's, which Morgan and Galahad were the last members of, and they wanted nothing to do with the duties being Head of Family meant. And the Olmsted's.

The most surprising, in Harry's book at least, was the Weasleys. Bill had insisted that no one who remained in the family had wanted the title, and over Harry's protests, signed over all of the rights, making Harry, Head of the Weasley Family as well. Both the Annerson's and the Olmsted families had willed everything to Harry, without them ever knowing more about him, other than the the fact that he was The Boy Who Lived, and he still did not understand how people could do that. He had talked to the account managers of all the families after, and had decided to leave everything the way that it was set up for the time being.

The only thing he really had to do was sign the paper work that allowed the Goblins the power to choose who would be the best witches or wizards to fill those seat on the Board of Directors and the Wizengamot. The only thing he insisted on was that Bill and Charlie Weasley and Remus Lupin be given a seat on each, if they so wished. He then directed the Goblins to contact Remus Lupin with the news that he had also inherited a sum of money as well, as in about 4 million galleons. He also sent an owl to the twins stating that he had given them an amount of money for Research and Development, with orders not to tell anyone of course. He had also set up accounts for Charlie and Bill, so that they would never have to worry about money again.

That had taken most of the afternoon, and he now wore around his neck three of the five Head of Family rings. The only ones that he would wear unless he needed to see to something personally were the Potter and Black rings. After signing all the required paperwork, which seemed to take forever, Harry, Morgan, Galahad and Severus left to do some shopping before the shops closed for the night. They made a stop at Madam Malkins, and picked out a few pairs of casual pants, and a few button down shirts. along with underwear, socks, and nightclothes. finishing that off with a pair of shoes and pair of slippers, Harry promised to be back the next day in order to be fitted for everything else he needed.

Severus had sent a message off to The Headmaster with the twins earlier, when they had left to finish their own shopping, telling him that, do to circumstances beyond their control, the four of them would not be returning to the school in time for the Welcoming Feast, but would be back before school started on Monday. All of them thanked Merlin that the first of September came on a Friday that year.

After that they made a stop at the Wizards General store, and Harry picked up the toiletries he needed, while the other three picked up some fresh food. Returning to the Leaky Cauldron, they had a late supper, and Morgan who was barely able to keep her eyes open, went of to bed her twin following close behind her. Harry who was also feeling pretty tired did the same and bade Severus a good night. It was then that Harry found himself unable to sleep.

Finally giving up, Harry slipped into an emerald green satin dressing robe, feeling slightly uneasy wearing such fine things, but Morgan had insisted. He made a mental note to find a plain cotton robe when he did the rest of his shopping the next day. The slippers he loved though, and made yet another mental note to pick up at least one more pair. Made from dragon and sheep skin, the outside being made from dragon skin made them nonslip, and able to be worn outside if required, while the sheep skin keep his feet warm no matter what.

Hearing slight noises coming from the kitchen area attached to their rooms, Harry silently moved in that direction, knowing instinctively who he would find. Leaning against the doorway, Harry watched as his Professor threw together a light salad.

"You do know Mr. Potter, that staring is rude?"

"Yes Sir. I couldn't help myself though." Harry replied.

"And why is that Mr. Potter?

"I've watched you for a number of years, all for different reasons. This time it was without fear of being caught."

"And _why_ have you watched me?"

"A number of reasons like I said, and each year for a different one. It was all depending on what was going on around me at the time. Mostly though, it was because I really didn't want to be caught doing something that you would have punished me for." Harry said, and then added to himself, 'besides, I like what I see.'

"Tell me Harry. How many times have I almost caught you?"

At this, Harry had to laugh, and actually moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Which year?" He returned. "I can remember one vivid almost meeting in my first year, during Christmas break. If you would have reached out your hand a few inches more, you would have had me." he said with a grin.

And your second year?"

"Not that I can recall right now. I can tell you that it wasn't me who broke into your personal potions cupboard. That was Hermione. And before you ask it wasn't me in forth year either. Blame that on a certain house elf."

"Combine your other years. How many times have you managed to get out of detention with me?"

"To many to count. Third year was the best though."

"Care to explain?"

"That would be breaking confidence with the Marauders. I really don't feel like getting on Remus's bad side."

"One of these day I will get that out of you."

"You mean you can try."

Snape inclined his head in acknowledgment of that statement and finished chopping the fresh greens for the salad. Filling two bowls, he joined Harry at the table and handed him one.

"Now that we have that out of the way, care to tell me why you are not asleep?"

Harry ate silently for a few minutes before he answered. "To much has happened today, and everything keeps running through my head."

"I see. Have you tried clearing your mind?"

"How?" Harry asked looking Snape straight in the eye. "You never told me how Sir."

Snape sighed, he knew Harry was right. "You may call me Severus in private Harry." he said quietly before continuing. "I think for tonight, we will leave that subject alone. Tomorrow, we will see what books we can find on that subject. For tonight, I will give you some Dreamless Sleep.''

"Thank you Severus, but I can tell you now, that the Dreamless Sleep won't help me tonight."

"Explain!" Came the clipped response

It was Harry's turn to sigh. "How much have you been told about my connection with Vol ... I mean Riddle?"

"The connection was never explained to me. Just that you did indeed have one."

Harry pushed his empty bowl to the side. "My scar connects me directly to Riddle's mind, and I can feel most of his emotions, especially whenever he is feeling something strongly. When he starts to 'play' with his Death Eaters, or whoever he's torturing, I am literally pulled into his mind and can see what he sees. I also feel whatever curse he is casting, like I'm the one he is casting them on." Harry explained. "My scar has already been hurting tonight because he is mad. Probably because I was wondering around Diagon Alley, and not on the train. I fully expect to have another vision tonight, as he punishes whoever told him the news."

"That could cause problems then."

"You're telling me."

"Harry, there is something you are not telling me." Severus said with a slight warning in his voice.

"Last year, at the Department of Magic, Riddle possessed me, and tried to make the Headmaster kill me. It didn't work obviously. While he was in my mind, he found the link and made it stronger. He can now pull me into his mind whenever he feels like it, but it takes a lot of energy away from him. He's been using that against me all summer."

"How much of your mind was he able to read." Concern evident in his voice.

"Just my surface thoughts. Mostly the anger I held for you. I can promise that he never found out from me that you were the spy. I was able to hold that information to myself, as well as everything pertaining to the Order."

"You where there when he found out I was the spy." Needing to know, but hoping that Harry didn't see exactly what happened to him. Having the Inner Circle take their turns with someone was not something that made for pleasant dreams.

"Yes. I managed to distract him enough for him to lose control, and I was able take over for a few seconds, giving you enough time to get away."

"Thank you Harry."

"I just wish that it would have been possible for me to do so earlier. It would have saved us both from a lot of pain."

Severus shrugged that off. "How much did you see?"

"Everything Severus, I was there even before you where. I was able to pull out shortly after you escaped and called Fawkes to help you." Harry told him, remembering both the rape and torture of the man before him.

"For that, I am more grateful then you could ever know. I'm not sure if I would have survived long enough to make it into the castle, if he didn't show up when he did."

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes before Severus broke it.

"Harry, you should try to get some sleep tonight. For that matter so should I. We have a lot to do tomorrow, before heading back to the school.

Harry nodded his head and started for the door, before hesitating and turning back. "Severus, I know this is going to sound strange coming from me ..." Harry started to say, before stopping, not sure how to continue with his request.

"But you don't really want to be alone tonight, just in case you do have a vision." Severus finished for him.

"Or a nightmare." He whispered, barely loud enough for Severus to hear.

Severus nodded his head in understanding. In truth , he didn't really want to be alone tonight either, but refused to say so. "Go to bed Harry. I'll be there as soon as I clean up here."

"Thank you Severus." he said before leaving the room.

It was only a few minutes later when Harry felt Severus enter the room. He laid in bed facing away from the Potions Master, and waited on the edge of the bed for the older man to join him. When he finally did join Harry, Severus could feel the anguish that today caused in the young man, and after hesitating for a moment, reached over and pulled Harry against him. This opened up the flood gates to Harry's tears, and he laid their holding him until Harry finally cried himself to asleep. A few minutes after that, he followed, still holding Harry's warm body close.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N. For those of you reading this for the first time, you have my many thanks for you time. For those of you reading once again, you may notice that I have rewritten many parts, and have added to the story. Which of course made me redo where the chapters ended. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your patience. Vbollman.

Disclaimer- don't own them, don't want them (except for Snape) Just like playing with them.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their Betaing job. Much luv to both of you.

Chapter Three.

Harry was awakened the next morning by Morgan and Galahad, talking and giggling in his head. Snarling quietly to himself, he snuggled further into the warmth behind him and tried to go back to sleep.

:No way sleepy head, we've been trying to wake you for the past half hour.: Morgan told him.

:Don' wanna wake up.: He mumbled back.

:Sorry Harry, but you need to wake Father up, and come out here.:

This comment was enough for Harry to clear his sleep fogged mind and realize that Severus was the warmth he was snuggled up against.

:WHAT!: He yelped in his mind.

The twins both started laughing out loud at that, so Harry could hear them both in his mind, and from the other room. The stiffening of the body behind him, let him know that Severus was now also awake.

"Harry?" He mumbled in confusion.

"Yes." Harry replied with none of the unease he was feeling in his voice. He was rewarded with Severus relaxing and pulling him closer.

"What are they laughing about?"

"I'm not sure exactly. It could have been my reaction to waking up in your arms."

"I'm sorry." Severus replied letting go of Harry and starting to move away.

Harry did not like the withdrawal and snuggled back toward the older mans warmth. "I'm not." He said softly.

"Hmm?" Severus questioned, wanting to know why Harry was not allowing him to move away.

"The twins want us to get up and join them." Harry said instead, not really sure how to explain what he was feeling at the moment.

This was enough to distract Severus. "Why?"

"Good question. I'll ask."

:Severus would like to know why you want us to wake up:

:Because Kitten ..." Morgan started

:Kitten?:

:Yes, Kitten. We checked on you both earlier when we couldn't find Father in his room. You looked like a kitten curled up against him.:

This caused Harry to groan out loud

"What's wrong?"

"Those two evil children of yours have just given me a new nickname."

"And that would be?"

"Kitten."

Harry heard the one sound he thought he would never hear from his Professor. A gentle laugh. "I'm guessing they came into the room?"

"Yes." He said out loud and then continued in his mind. :Are you going to tell me the reason yet?:

:Of course Kitten. It's called you both come out here or we send the Headmaster in to you. I'm sure he would love to see the two of you wrapped in each other's arms, if of course, I was reading the twinkle in his eyes correctly when we told him where you both where that is.: Galahad informed him

"Shite." Harry said both out loud and in his head.

More laughter came from the other room, and Severus sat up slightly to look at Harry. "What's wrong now?"

"There's a set of twinkling blue eyes waiting in the other room for us."

"Shite."

"I've already said that." Harry had to point out.

"Is it to much to hope that he doesn't know that we spent the night in the same bed?" Severus groaned, while reluctantly releasing his hold on Harry and sitting up.

"I believe so, considering the twins already told him, and are still laughing about it."

:Do you two want coffee or tea?: Galahad asked, breaking into the conversation.

"Gali, would like to know if you would like coffee or tea?"

"Tea, strong and black. I think I'm going to need it." Severus responded and then paused, "Gali?"

"If he's going to call me Kitten, I'm going to call him Gali!"

:Severus would like tea, strong and black. I'll have tea also please with two sugar and a dash of cream. Thanks Gali.: Harry said, laughing when Galahad started to sputter.

:Oh I like that one. Thanks Harry.: Morgan sent, laughter in her voice also.

Harry gave Severus a grin, as he rolled out of bed. "I don't really care what the Headmaster thinks at the moment. I refuse to get dressed before the sun is up." he said, while pulling on his dressing gown.

Knowing there was no sense in hiding the fact the two of them shared a bed from the Headmaster, since he already knew anyway, Severus followed Harry's lead and pulled on his dressing gown, instead of going to his room to get dressed, and held the door open for Harry.

The two of them walked side by side out into the kitchen and met the twinkling eyes of one Albus Dumbledore.

"Good morning My Boys. Sleep well?" he greeted them cheerfully.

"Good morning Professor." Harry replied, ignoring the question.

Severus also ignored the question and took the cup of tea his son held out to him. "Morning Albus. What brings you here at this God awful time in the morning?"

Albus's eyes just twinkled brighter as he looked at the two of them, and chuckled when the twins chorused a greeting to them.

"Good morning Kitten. Good morning Father."

Harry just threw the three of them a disgusted look and took a sip of his tea, before sitting down between Morgan and Severus.

"Well, to answer your question Severus, I came to bring the twins to Hogwarts. Even though your spying days are over, Morgan and Galahad could still be used against you. And it would do no good to have the four of you arrive at the same time. I can explain Harry and you showing up together as added security measures, but the twins would be harder to explain."

"That's understandable Albus. I assume you want them there for breakfast so you can have them sorted."

"Yes. Though I'm sure we can wait for that until you get there if you want to see it."

"It would be better if I wasn't. I might not be able to contain myself, if one or both of them are sorted anywhere else but Slytherin."

Harry laughed at the expressions on the twin's faces. "I'm sure if you want to, you will be able to convince the Sorting Hat to put you anywhere but Slytherin." he said.

"You cannot convince the Hat to put you in a different House then the one that it first chose for you." Severus said, a slight sneer on his face.

"You go on believing that Severus. I know better."

"And just how would you know that?"

"If I hadn't convinced the Hat to put me in Gryffindor, I would have had to endured having you as my Head of House." Harry laughed.

"Merlin Forbid. You would have never survived your first year, for that matter nether would I."

"Agreed."

"Besides Papa, do you really want me and Draco in the same House?" Morgan asked sweetly.

"NO. anything but that! Do what you have to, in order to stay out of Slytherin."

Albus glanced around the room and then looked at Harry. "Now that, that is taken care of, would you like to tell me why you where not on the train Harry? And why I had one extremely angry Nurse demanding that I find you immediately?"

Harry put down his tea and gave the Headmaster a steady look, "The reason I was not on the train, is an easy question to answer. I was busy in Gringotts arguing with the Goblins about inheriting the titles to five different Families. Don't ask me, I still don't understand what's going on. As to Madam Pomfrey, lets just say that I was disproving your theory that I was stretching facts to meet my needs." Harry told him.

Albus was not allowed to say anything about that because said nurse walked into the room followed by Galahad, who had gotten up to answer the door, while everyone else was talking.

"There you are young man! I have been worried sick about you. Why didn't you send a note telling me that you where fine?" She demanded.

"I'm sorry Madam. I had a lot on my mind last night and letting you know that I was safe and healthy kind of slipped through the cracks." Harry said wincing slightly.

"Very well then. Since I didn't see you last night, you will tell me everything I need to know now. Lets start with you removing your shirt so I can see any new injuries."

"I'm fine honestly." Harry started to say.

"I will be the judge of that. Now you have two choices ..."

"I know, I know. Either I remove my nightshirt or you remove it, either by yourself, or by having someone else do it for you." Harry muttered while undoing the buttons of the shirt.

"Gee Harry, doesn't this conversation sound familiar?" Morgan said sweetly.

"I have a few words to say to you about this set of options, but I'm pretty sure that if I said them, I would end up hurt." Harry told her, while slipping the shirt off.

"Aw but Kitten,"

"Don't start Morgan. This is really not the time." Harry said, really not in the mood to deal with both females that early in the morning.

Harry waited patiently as Madam Pomfrey ran her tests, knowing that soon the questions would start. Glancing up he gave the Headmaster a look that clearly said, 'Do you understand now?' and watched as the twinkle died.

"Any new broken bones?"

"Not that I noticed."

"Infections from unhealed and/or uncleaned cuts."

"Not that I noticed."

"Is that the only answer you are going to give me?"

"You would be better off asking Morgan about any new injuries. She's the one that healed me yesterday morning."

Pomfrey turned her attention to Morgan. "How bad was he?"

"Two cracked ribs, three bruised ribs, a hairline fracture on the left shoulder blade, and numerous healed, partially healed and new cuts, along with a lot of bruising." was the immediate response.

"Do you understand now Albus. You left him in that house to protect him from You-Know-Who, but who is protecting him from those monsters?" She all but shouted.

"Madam Pomfrey, He has no choice. I may be able to find another safe place to stay, but in order to renew the wards around the house, I need to stay there, in order to keep them safe." Harry told her, trying his best to avoid the fight he knew would happen between the nurse and the Headmaster.

"You still want to protect them after that?" She demanded.

"I will not have their blood on my hands. There is already enough there as is."

:Harry you don't...: the twins started to say.

"If the two of you have anything to say regarding my treatment at the hands of my relatives say it out loud Better yet don't say it at all because it won't change matters. I need to stay in the house where my mother's blood dwells in order to renew the blood protection she granted me, when she gave up her life to save mine. Nothing you or anyone else can say will change that." Harry cut them off.

Albus gave Harry a look of pride mixed with sadness. "I am sorry My Boy."

"I know Sir. I understood your reasoning once I had a chance to study the information you gave me last term." Before anyone else could say anything he firmly stopped them. "Enough. It's in the past and can't be changed. Now that Professor Dumbledore knows the full extent of their treatment of me, I'm sure he will do his best to give me added protection for next summer."

"Fine Mr. Potter. As I am going to be needed at the school soon, I suggest that we start on the rest of your start of term questions."

"Yes Ma'am."

"How did you sleep over the summer?"

"Same as usual. Nightmares and visions. Nothing new."

"And last night?" she asked

Harry blushed into his cup of tea, while the twins and Dumbledore snickered. "I slept fine last night."

"Are you sure, no nightmares, and no visions."

"No Ma'am."

"Did Severus give you anything to help you sleep."

"No Ma'am. I was half expecting a vision last night when the news that I was in Diagon Alley and not on the train to Hogwarts reached Riddle. Thankfully it didn't happen." he said not daring to look up at the others.

"And I'm to believe you?"

Morgan managed to contain her laughter long enough to answer. "It's kind of hard to hide the screams when someone is in the room with you." she pointed out.

"Not when you are as good with silencing spells as Mr. Potter is."

"Not when you're sharing the same bed." Galahad told her. And then added silently to Harry:Silencing spells? Just what did you and Father do last night?:

:Shut up Galahad. Or I'll make sure you regret it.:

Pomfrey turned on the one adult who was keeping extremely quiet, and who she knew also spent the night, "Severus Snape, are you telling me that you let Harry and this Young Lady spend the night together." she demanded.

Harry's head had dropped to the table when the questions about his sleeping habits had started, provoking Galahad to start teasing Harry, but he snapped up with this last question. "I did not sleep with Morgan. If I did, I'm pretty sure her father would have killed me!"

"And who is her father?"

For the first time since the conversation started Severus joined in. "I am, Poppy. And Harry is correct. If I would have found the two of them together, one of them would have been dead."

:Did you notice he didn't say 'you' would be dead Harry?: Galahad asked.

:I'm trying not to think about what that means at the moment Gali.:

"Who did he spend the night with then?"

Albus decided to break in. "I do believe that Severus and Harry shared a bed last night." he said. "It is my understanding that after everything that has happened, Harry was unwilling to spend the night alone."

"And you are okay with this Albus?"

"Under the circumstances Poppy, I really must insist that we leave the subject alone." Dumbledore said firmly. "I do believe that we must be getting back to the school. Morgan, Galahad, gather your things. If you need anything else, you can always have it delivered or buy it in Hogsmeads."

"Yes Sir." They both said and left to get their things.

"Severus, Harry, I expect to see you both by lunch time. That should give you all the time you need to get your shopping done."

"Yes Sir. I'll just go help the twins." Harry said while Severus just nodded his head in agreement with the Headmaster.

Harry made a quick retreat out of the room, and joined the twins in the room they shared. Throwing them both a glare, he flopped down on one of the beds and watched them do what little packing needed to be done.

"Harry are you going to be okay?" Galahad asked.

"It's going to be a little awkward between us I believe, but we'll manage."

"If you're sure Kitten."

"If you don't mind, I would like the story of how I got that name to remain between us."

"Of course Kitten."

"Morgan, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure Kitten."

"Don't do anything to Draco until I get there. I want to see it."

"That I can do."

"Good."

"Alright, we're all packed again. Don't do anything foolish with Father while you're alone okay." Galahad couldn't help but teased.

"I'm sure we'll manage to behave ourselves." Harry replied dryly.

"Indeed." Morgan intoned.

"You sound like your father when you do that. If you plan on keeping the fact that he is your father secret, I suggest you break that habit. Both of you."

"Yes Kitten." they both answered.

"Are you coming out to say goodbye?"

"No Morgan. I'm going to go take a shower. I'm still feel filthy from yesterday, even after my shower last night."

"Alright, we'll tell Papa."

"Thanks. Both of you."

"Not a problem Kitten." Galahad said.

:Just remember Harry. We are only a thought away.:

:I'll remember that. You better get going.:

Harry waited until he was sure the only one left was Severus before leaving the room to gather what he needed for the shower. 15 minutes later, he was as ready as he could be to face the world once again. He followed his nose to where breakfast was waiting and took a seat across from Severus.

"Harry?"

"Yes Severus."

"Do you regret asking me to stay with you last night."

Harry looked up in surprise. "No. I'm more worried about what excuse Morgan and Gali will come up with on why they gave me that nickname." he said honestly.

Harry wasn't sure but he was pretty certain that a lot of tension left Severus at his answer. "Do you regret staying with me?"

"No. But unlike you, I'm more worried about what the staff will say, if Poppy tells anyone."

"They won't believe it. As far as anyone else knows we hate each other."

"And that's another thing. We put our past history behind us awfully fast."

"I said the same thing to the twins. It was too easy to put everything behind us. They assured me it was because of the Trust Bond I have with them. It allows you to know when I'm being truthful and stuff along that nature."

"There's more to it then that."

"I know. I'm just not going to worry about it at the moment."

"And if along the way our past history comes up?"

Harry finally looked up from his plate. "Not if Severus, when. When it comes up between us, we'll deal with it then. There's no sense doing so now. For one we just don't have the time to do so."

"Agreed. Where should we start on our trip through the Alley today?"

"I guess we should start with my OWL results and the list for my school supplies. Professor Dumbledore left both here. And then I guess our next stop after that should be for a new wand. I need to find out if Mr. Ollivander knows what to do about Fawkes's Feather."

"I can help you with that. We'll need Fawkes permission first, but I'm sure I'll be able to weave added protections into it, that will also allow you to focus your power."

"That would be great. The feather still feels like my wand. Just with a higher concentration of power."

"I think you should explain that to Mr. Ollivander. I'm sure he'll be able to explain to you why it feels that way."

"Shall we go then?"

The two of them made themselves ready and started out the door to get all of Harry's shopping done. To Harry's surprise, he found that he was once again taking potions, and laughed when Severus insisted on picking all of Harry's potions supplies that he would need for the coming year. And more besides.

"Are you planning on starting remedial potions with me again this year?" Harry asked.

"Worse. I've been asked to train you in everything I know about Defense. Wither it be dueling, hand to hand or potions. Anything that can help you, I'm suppose to teach you.

"And how does the Headmaster plan on hiding that from everyone?"

"I'm not sure exactly but I have an idea."

"Planning on sharing that idea?"

"No."

Harry started to comment when Galahad called him.

:Kitten? Are you sitting down?:

:Why?:

:I have news you both need to hear. And you both better be sitting down for it!:

:Give us a minute.:

"Sir, I think it's time for a break before we go and get my new wand."

"As you wish Mr. Potter. Just keep in mind that I don't have anymore time to waste on you then necessary today."

"Yes Sir." Harry sighed.

To all outward appearances, nothing had changed between the two of them. The difference was in the eyes. He knew from a slight glint in his Professor's dark eyes, that he didn't mean it. The two of them entered a small coffee shop and ordered before Harry got back to Galahad.

:Ok Gali, go ahead."

:First tell Father that he has two more Gryffindor's to deal with this year.:

"Gali says that you have two more Gryffindor's to deal with, Sir."

"Wonderful, just what I need to hear."

:Okay. Now why did you want us sitting down?:

:Dumbledore announced that Father was a spy for the Light this morning.:

"Sir, did you know that the Headmaster was going to tell the school that you were a spy?"

"No I did not."

:Anything more?:

:Oh yes Kitten, there's diffidently more. The Gryffindor's are refusing to let you back into The Tower. It's been decided that it's too stressful to deal with your demanding personality, along with being too dangerous. The Headmaster has decided moved you into the Dungeons, I believe that you have a room directly next to Father's.:

:How are the two of you dealing with everything?:

:We plan on getting ourselves thrown out of the Tower real soon. I Just wanted you to let Father know that he would have company in his quarters, or better yet, that you will have company.:

:Don't do anything stupid Gali. You have no idea how fast Hogwarts can turn on you.:

:It's not us being stupid Kitten. They are supposed to be your friends.: Morgan almost screamed through the link.

:Morgan keep it down. I don't need a headache. Besides, my friends in Gryffindor were killed over the summer. That's the reason for the others wanting me out of The Tower.:

:I refuse to be in the same place as these bigots. We are either joining Papa or you. Now hurry and come back.:

Harry found that both twins had cut off the link so that he could not argue with them further.

"Do you want the bad news or the really bad news?" Harry asked.

"What are they planning now?"

"Oh I don't know exactly, but I have the feeling that everyone will know that you are their father by the time we get back to the school."

"And why would they do something that foolish."

"Because I have been kicked out of Gryffindor Tower, and they do not wish to remain in a the same place as those 'bigots', to put it in Morgan's words.

Why did they kick you out of Gryffindor Tower?"

"Ron, Hermione and Ginny."

"I see. Where will you be staying."

"Gali said something about there being a set of rooms directly next to yours."

"Yes, it comes complete with a connecting door."

"Then that's where I'll be staying. And it the twins can work it, they will be staying with either you or me."

"More Gryffindor's in my dungeons. What is that man thinking?"

"If you be nice, I might be convinced to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. There is a huge Basilisk down there."

"Really? Tell me how you plan to get around the killing gaze h'm."

"Oh that's easy. You let a 12 year old kill it to begin with!"

"What?"

"The beast from the Chamber of Secrets. I killed it four years ago. I was under the impression that all the Professors knew that."

"I never believed the story the Headmaster gave us, so I will get you to explain that to me later. But we should get going, you still need to get your wand."

"Of course Sir. I was just waiting for you to finish your tea."

"Humph."

It didn't take the two of them long to finish shopping. And Harry found himself the owner of another rare wand. It seemed that earlier in the summer, Fawkes had once again donated another feather to have made into a wand, and that wand had also chosen Harry. Mr. Ollivander had warned him about the wand, saying it was an extremely odd combination. Fawkes, at the same time he delivered the new feather, had also brought in a piece of fang from a basilisk, which had also been added to the wand's core. As to what to do about the first feather, his only suggestion had been to make it into an amulet, and either keep it for added protection or give it to someone Harry cared about enough to want protected.

They both were quiet as they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron to pack up all of Harry's supplies in his new trunk. It wasn't until they were just about to leave that the silence was broken.

"Do you know what you are going to do with the feather?" Severus asked.

"For the moment, I'll just keep it. It's going to take a lot of research to make it into a proper amulet."

"If you need help, just let me know. That includes a pass into the restricted section of the library.

"Thank you Severus."

"Not a problem Harry."

"How are we getting to Hogwarts?" Harry asked a few minutes later.

"I've made arrangements with Tom to have a private Floo connected to this room for our use. I remember how much you hate portkeys."

"Thank you for that. Even though in my opinion using the floo is not much better."

"You don't floo very well?"

"No. If you don't mind, can you go first?"

"I can't. I'm going to need to be last in order guard your back."

"Damn. Lets hope that there is no one in the Headmaster's office then." Harry sighed and taking a fist full of floo powder, threw it in the flames and called out his destination. Moments later he landed at the feet of the one person Harry really didn't want to see.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N. For those of you reading this for the first time, you have my many thanks for you time. For those of you reading once again, you may notice that I have rewritten many parts, and have added to the story. Which of course made me redo where the chapters ended. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your patience. Vbollman.

Disclaimer- don't own them, don't want them (except for Snape) Just like playing with them.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their Betaing job. Much luv to both of you.

Chapter Four.

"Lucius Malfoy." Harry snarled, pulling himself up off the floor.

"Mr. Potter." he returned coolly.

"Ah Harry. It's good to see that you made it safely. Is Severus on his way?" Dumbledore asked, drawing Harry's attention away from Lucius Malfoy.

"Yes Sir. He was right behind me and was just giving me time to pick myself off the floor." Harry said just as the flames turned green and Professor Snape stepped out of the fire.

"I see you managed to keep yourself in one piece Mr. Potter." Snape said, all his masks back in place as soon as he saw that someone else was in the Headmaster's office

"Yes Sir." Harry replied following his lead.

"Headmaster, if that is all? I have things I need to do." Snape asked while already moving towards the door.

"Severus, I need you and Harry to remain here for a few moments. There are a few things that need to be discussed. Most especially, living accommodation for the next school year for four of our students." Dumbledore told him. "Harry, if you would be kind enough to call the twins and ask them to bring young Draco up as well.

Yes Sir." Harry said resigned. He had an awful suspicion that he knew what was coming.

:Galahad Tristan, and Morgan-Ann Rose! Just what the hell did the two of you do during the past few hours?: He yelled

:Kitten? Are you back?: Morgan asked, totally ignoring the question.

:What's wrong?: Galahad added.

:I don't know what in Merlin's name is wrong, but the Headmaster wants you and Malfoy in his office right away. The two of you are to bring him with you.:

:I didn't do anything to him Kitten. I swear.: Morgan half pleaded.

:Just get yourselves and him up here. Your father is with me, along with Mr. Malfoy.:

:Alright. We're on our way.: Galahad said. :Be there in a few minutes.:

Harry opened his eyes and gave the three men a shrug of the shoulders. "They're on their way."

Mr. Malfoy gave Harry a considering look. "You have a mind link with the twins?"

"We have a trust bond between us deep enough to have developed a mind link." Harry explained. Knowing by the looks he was being given by the Headmaster, that if he didn't answer fully, Dumbledore would.

"I see. This should be a most interesting conversation."

"Indeed." Severus replied.

The four of them waited in silence for the other three to make their way up. The only sound in the room was the sound of Fawkes singing softly in the background. A few minutes later and the three of them came through the open door.

It was then Harry received the second major shock in as many days.

"Uncle Luc." The twins called out in unison.

"Uncle Luc?" Harry questioned.

Galahad gave Harry a wide smile. "Is this going to be a repeat of yesterday morning Kitten. You know, when you found out about Father?"

Harry managed to close his mouth and proceeded to shake his head. "No Gali, this is worse then yesterday. Would the two of you like to tell me anything else, before you manage to kill me?"

"Aw Kitten. It's really not that bad." Morgan replied.

"I should have turned around and walked away from the two of you yesterday." Harry mumbled.

"Why didn't you Potter? It would have made all of our lives easier." Draco sneered.

"Shut it Malfoy." Harry snarled, but was stopped from saying anything else.

"Harry. Do you regret anything at all from yesterday?" Severus asked dropping all notions of keeping their friendship( if you wanted to call it that) private.

"No Severus I don't. I told you that this morning." he sighed.

"Good, then you must also trust me now."

"Alright. I'm listening."

"Thank you."

"Kitten are you tell us that the two of you actually talked this morning after we left?"

"Yes Gali. What's your point?"

:Oh nothing at all. I just expected something else out of last night: he said in Harry's mind.

"Galahad Tristan!"

"Ouch. I take it that means I should keep those thoughts to myself?"

"Indeed." Severus replied for Harry.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Malfoy demanded.

"Nothing at all Mr. Malfoy."

"Lucius, Harry, his name is Lucius." the twins said together.

Harry didn't even bother to answer, instead he just shrugged his shoulders and turned to the Headmaster, who was once again twinkling at full force. "Why are we all here? I would like to know where I will be staying this year so I can unpack."

"And that My Boy is exactly what we are here for. It seems that when Lucius changed his alliances over the summer, being in Slytherin became unsafe for Draco, which he found out last night, when he was attacked in his bed. It has also been brought to my attention that you have been kicked out of Gryffindor Tower, and the twins refuse to stay there unless you are allowed back in." Dumbledore started.

"In other words Sir, it is no longer safe or possible for reasons beyond your control, for any of us to stay where we are supposed to be. Which means in your mind that we must stay together." Harry said.

"But of course My Boy. What better way to keep you all safe?"

"Right. And how do you purpose that we get around the idea of killing each other?'

"By enlarging Severus's quarters." Dumbledore said with his twinkle going full blast.

"You should have expected that one Harry." Severus snorted.

"Yes, I should have." Harry sighed.

"Is there anything else you would like to know Harry?"

"Nope that about covers it."

"Wait a minute Potter. Are you just going to agree to this?" Draco demanded to know.

"When you've dealt with the Headmaster as many times as I have over the past few years, you learn that there is really no use in arguing with him. He always gets his way."

"Indeed I do, Indeed I do." Dumbledore agreed. "Did you want to know why Lucius is here?"

"I figured you would get to that in your own time. And asking you for that information before you are ready to tell us is just pointless. Besides I have the distinct feeling that he will be staying with his son for awhile, more then likely as this years Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

"And exactly how long did it take you to figure that out Mr. Potter?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"Harry, Uncle Luc. His name is Harry."

"Drop it you two. It's not going to be like yesterday. And to answer your question Mr. Malfoy, I pretty much had it figured out when Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to inform the twins and your son that they where needed up here."

"Kitten?"

"What?" He snarled, and catching the look on Severus's face apologized, "Sorry Gali."

"Right. Have you had lunch yet?"

"No."

"Did Father make you eat breakfast?"

"Yes."

"And you did get enough sleep last night right?"

"Go away Galahad. Your starting to piss me off."

"Aw Kitten. That hurts."

Harry just sighed and looked at the Headmaster. "Sir are we done?"

Albus couldn't help but laugh he knew what was coming. "Yes Harry, you have my permission to do what ever needs to be done at the moment."

"Thank you Sir. I promise not to kill him."

"When your done with him, you can deliver him to my office. I'm sure I can find a few things for him to do there." Severus told him.

"Right, thank you Severus. Just call Dobby and he'll take my trunk wherever it needs to go. Galahad, are you still here?" was all the warning Galahad got before he was being chased out the door by Harry.

Morgan watched with amusement as Galahad ran down the stairs, before turning back to her father. "Papa, are you really going to punish Galahad for that?"

"Yes, I do believe I will."

"Why? It's not like we're being mean about it?"

"Morgan, put yourself in Harry's place. How would you feel about being teased about it all the time. Pretty much everything that Galahad has said to him today, has to do with the circumstances around the nickname the two of you gave him. And all of it while Harry has been trying to figure out what else could go wrong in his life.

"I never thought about it that way. And I don't think Gali did either." Morgan said with a small voice.

"I don't think that the name or how he got bothered him. It's just the two of you bringing it up at the wrong times.

I'll talk to Gali."

"You do that."

hpss

Harry was in time to see Galahad disappear around a far corner as he exited the Headmaster's office. Pacing himself so not to tire out, he set out after him and was just about to turn the corner when a voice behind him made him stop.

"Mr. Potter. I hope you have a good reason to be running in the school, especially since you where not here when you where supposed to be." Professor McGonagall's voice rang out.

Harry sighed as he skidded to a stop and turned back to his Head of House. "Yes Ma'am I do. But it's not something I can really explain." He said.

"I see. Can you at least tell me why you where not here yesterday?"

"I had business in Gringotts."

"That, Mr. Potter, is not good enough. You had time over the summer to do any business there.

I'm sorry Professor, but yesterday was the first chance I had to be in Diagon Alley."

"Not another word out of you. I'm sure the Headmaster is just as interested as I am to here your reasons."

"Yes Ma'am." Harry sighed once again, and trudged back towards the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, and preceded her up the revolving staircase.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Back so soon." Dumbledore called out when he caught sight of Harry.

"Yes Sir, I was detained before I reached Galahad." Harry explained with a glance over his shoulder.

"Minerva, what brings you here at the moment?"

"I found Mr. Potter running through the halls. When he could not give me an appropriate reason as to why, I brought him here, so he could explain to both of us."

"Harry will you ask Mr. Annerson to rejoin us."

"Yes Sir." closing his eyes Harry focused on finding Gali.

:Gali, where are you?:

:Kitten? I don't know. I got turned around. Where are you?:

:I got caught by our Head of House. She dragged me back to the Headmaster's office.:

:Tough luck.:

:Tell me about it. Can you give me landmarks on where you are?:

:Not really. All I can tell you is that it's dark. I was running down a hall, not paying attention and turned into a side hall. I can't even tell you if I'm in the dungeons. All I can see is blank walls.:

:Damn. Alright I'll see what I can do from here. Can you do a point me spell with your wand?:

:I don't have it on me. I left it in my trunk.:

:FOOL!! You never leave your wand behind.:

:I know. Kitten I don't like it here, this place is creepy.:

:Alright, stay put. I'm working on it.:

Opening his eyes Harry gave the Headmaster a concerned look. "He's lost, afraid, and without his wand. He cannot even give me which direction he in, or if he's in the dungeons or not." he said, and heard Severus muttering about foolish children.

"This place is huge, how the hell are we going to find him." Morgan said in a panic.

Albus sighed. "I can call in the ghosts to help search, and alert all the Professors. But it's going to take time."

"Not really Sir. Has Remus left anything here for me?" Harry asked.

Albus got up and retrieved a wrapped bundle from one of the many cupboards in his office. "He delivered this a few days ago." He said, handing it to Harry, figuring out what was in the package.

"And how is that going to help my son?" Severus sneered, trying to mask his concern.

"First you are going to take a deep breath and relax." Harry stated and waited for Severus to do just that. When he had he asked him a question. "Do you remember the Zonko's product you tried to take from me in third year?"

"Yes."

"It's actually a map of Hogwarts. It shows everyone in the castle regardless of concealing spells, polyjuice or animagus form." Harry explained opening the package and pulling out the map.

:Kitten?:

:Just a few more minutes Gali. Just try to relax.:

:I'll try.:

Harry unfolded the map, and pulled out his wand. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." he said and tapped the map.

Spreading it out over a table, he started searching for Galahad, but could not see him. "Damn." he muttered.

"Language Mr. Potter." McGonagall snapped.

Ignoring his Head of House, he tapped the map once again. "Show me Galahad Annerson." he commanded. The map blanked itself, and then moments later refocused on a older section of the school. "Got him." he announced.

:Gali, I need you to walk to your left.:

:Alright.:

The dot labeled Galahad Annerson, moved further away from the more traveled parts of the school and Harry was quick to stop him.

:Gali, stop. I've got your directions worked out now. All you just need to follow all of my instructions to bring you back to the land of the living.:

:How are you doing that?:

:I have a map of the school that my father and his friends made years ago. It shows everyone on the school grounds on it. It will lead me right to you. Or in this case it will lead you right to me.:

:Alright Kitten, I trust you.:

:Of course you do. If you didn't, you would be in real trouble.: Harry snorted.

:Just so you know, I am really sorry. Morgan has already given me shit over teasing you. It seems Father chewed her out for it.:

:Don't worry about it at the moment. We'll talk after I kick your ass for being an idiot.:

:Deal. So which way do you want me to go?:

:You need to turn around and go to your left. You'll come to an intersection and you need to go left when you get to it.:

:Alright. Are you going to meet me?:

:Would you like me to?:

:Yes. You and Father both.:

:Alright. We're on our way.:

Harry turned to face Severus. "Severus, he would like the two of us to meet him."

"Good. I have a few words to say to that boy."

"I know. I've already given him hell."

"Lets go." Without waiting for an answer he stalked out of the room.

Harry looked at the others and sighed. "How long before he figures out that without me and the map, he's not going anywhere?" Harry asked the others waiting in tense silence before following him out.

Harry found Severus waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. "Which way?" he asked.

"We go down towards the dungeons. Just follow me and you won't get lost."

"Aren't you the cocky one."

"No. I'm the one with the map. And I know who made it, and that it can be trusted."

"Who did make the map?"

"The Marauder's."

"And you expect me to trust a map that they made?'

"No, Severus. I'm asking you to trust me."

For the next ten minutes the two of them walked in silence. With Harry giving the occasional direction to Galahad. Finally Harry stopped at a blank section of wall. With Galahad directly across from him.

:Gali, I need you to start looking for a etched snake. When you find it, put your hand on it and let me know.:

:Why?:

:Because if I'm right. The password for this wall will have to be in parseltongue.:

:And you plan on inviting the Dark Lord in here just to get me out?: he asked incredulously.

:NO. I'm a parselmouth. As soon as we find the snake, I can let you out. Now stop panicking and start looking.: Harry commanded.

"Severus, we need to look for a carving of a snake. If I'm right, the password will be in parseltongue."

"Can't you just command it to open without finding the snake?"

"I might be able to. But I'll still need a snake. I need it to focus so that I can actually switch languages. I don't realize when I do go between English and parseltongue." Harry explained while searching the wall.

:Kitten? I think I found it.:

:Alright Gali, give me a minute to check where you are, and I'll concentrate from there.: Harry checked the map, and moved so he was directly opposite Galahad. :How far up the wall?:

:About half way:

Harry started looking around the halfway mark until he found the small snake. :I got it Gali. It will only be another few minutes.:

:Hurry Kitten: Gali replied, the strain he was feeling clearly showing in his mind voice.

Harry blocked everything else from his mind, and focused on the small snake. When it was all he could see, Harry started to speak.

In the name of Lord Salazar Slytherin, I command you to open! he hissed.

Harry held his breath and waited. For a moment he was afraid that it didn't work, and then the wall dissolved, and a very pale Galahad fell into his arms.

Harry wrapped his arms around the shaking teen and slowly lowered him to the floor, cradling him against his chest. Severus joined them, and wrapped his arms around them both, and together they comforted Galahad as he finally fell apart.

"That's right Gali, let it out. We've got you." Severus whispered to his son.

"Harry, let the others know we have him, and tell them to wait for us in my office." Severus said.

Harry nodded his head. :Morgan?:

:Kitten. Did you find him?: she asked worry strongly coloring her mental voice.

:Ya, we have him. Your Father says to take the others and meet us in his office.:

:Thank Merlin: She breathed. And Harry could clearly hear her start to cry. :We'll be there in a few minutes.: she managed to say.

Harry looked up at Severus and gave him a small smile. "They'll meet us there in a few minutes."

Severus released his hold on both teens and stood up in order to gather his son in his arms. When Harry stood beside him, he leaned over and placed a light kiss on Harry's forehead. "Thank you My Harry." he whispered, and then waited for a dumbfounded Harry to lead them back to the dungeons.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N. For those of you reading this for the first time, you have my many thanks for you time. For those of you reading once again, you may notice that I have rewritten many parts, and have added to the story. Which of course made me redo where the chapters ended. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your patience. Vbollman.

Disclaimer- don't own them, don't want them (except for Snape) Just like playing with them.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their Betaing job. Much luv to both of you.

Chapter Five.

Harry used the map to make sure that the three of them didn't meet up with any of the other students. After all It wouldn't do for them to see their Potions Master, acting like a human being. He had finally managed to work his way out of the daze he fell into when Severus had kissed him, and whispered the words 'My Harry', just as they reached Severus's office door.

It was a good thing he did manage to shake it off when he did, as they found in the office waiting for them, everyone who was last in the Headmaster's office. Including Professor McGonagall. Not feeling ready to deal with his Head of House, Harry made sure that Severus was the first one to enter the room, and he stood slightly behind Severus, hiding, or trying to anyway. He knew it wouldn't really work, but if it kept him from dealing with McGonagall, then it was worth a try.

Taking a chance Harry glanced at McGonagall's face and groaned in dismay. Nope, there was no way he would get out of dealing with the Witch, and his only hope was that the others would protect him from her wrath. Following Severus across the room, Harry waited as he tapped a sequence on a section of wall, and watched as the wall slide away to reveal a passage leading to the Potions Master's personal rooms.

Upon entering his rooms Severus carried Galahad to one of the new rooms that had recently been added, and motioned for Harry to follow. "I need you to go back into my office and bring a vial of calming potion and one of Dreamless Sleep. You'll find both in the cupboard above my desk. I don't have the password set for it as of yet, so you should have no problems."

Harry nodded his head in understand and left the room and headed for the passage leading to Severus's office. Making sure to keep someone between him and his Head of House at all times. It didn't take long for him to find the potions needed, and by the time he returned with them, Severus had Galahad stripped, cleaned, and redressed in clean clothing once again. Harry handed over both potion vials and went to leave again when Galahad called him softly from the bed.

"Kitten?"

"You should be resting."

"I know, but my head is all fuzzy, so I can't call Morgan-Rose. And I really need her here." Galahad rambled.

"Alright Gali, I'll let her know. You just sleep."

"Alright Kitten. Papa, will you stay also?"

"I'm not going anywhere My Knight. Rest. Harry will get Our Rose for you." Severus said wrapping his arms around his son.

Harry left the room and walked to Morgan. "Morgan, your brother wants you. He's wrapped around your father at the moment." He said, and then added for her alone:He's the one looking like a kitten at the moment. I don't like seeing him that way:

:I know Harry. But Papa will make sure he's back to his old self in no time.:

:I hope so My Rose, I truly do hope so.: Harry replied, unconsciously imitated her father, and tilted his head up to accept the kiss she placed on his cheek.

Looking over at Professor McGonagall as Morgan walked away, he barely managed to suppressed the flinch that wanted to come out and waited for the verbal on slot that he knew was coming, just like he knew the Headmaster wouldn't be willing to head off for him. 'Here we go' he thought to himself, and meet her gaze.

"Mr. Potter." she started in a voice every student in her house learned to dread in their first week if not sooner, "Would you explain to me why you are on such friendly terms with a student you just met today, and why you are calling one of your Professors by their given names?"

Ignoring the snickering coming from Draco, Harry started on an over simplified explanation. "I met the twins early yesterday morning when my Uncle dropped me off at the station before 7. As I already told you, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to do any of my school shopping, and Gali and Morgan convinced Professor Snape to take me with them, when they did their own shopping. A few things came up while I was in Gringotts, and I found myself unable to return to the school before the feast started. I have Professor Snape's permission to use his first name while we are in private, and since we will be sharing quarters for this school year at least, I am well within my rights to use his first name. As to my friendly relationship with Morgan, I can assure you that nothing is going on, and nothing will be going on between us. The twins and I have a trust bond, which allows me to speak my mind and not worry about anything I tell them ending up on the front page of the Prophet." he explained, and then added. " I do believe that I have covered everything that you need to know. And I will not answer any more of your questions about the things that have happened before this term started."

"Very well Mr. Potter. I assume by your attitude, that you have been informed of the decision, to remove you from Gryffindor Tower for your own safety. I still fully expect you to live up to the rules governing my House." Disapproval for Harry's answer and attitude that she didn't bother to mask laced her voice.

"No Professor, I was thrown out of Gryffindor Tower, because your House believes it will be to stressful to deal with my demanding personality, and the danger it involves. Your House has shown on more then one occasion that it would rather turn it's collective back on one in need. On those grounds, I would rather be resorted to another House, then deal with a bunch of cowards who refuse to stand with one of their own.

Harry watched in satisfaction as McGonagall went red with fury to the insult of her house. Albus was also not pleased with the turn of events, but unlike McGonagall, he was angry on Harry's behalf.

"Harry, My Boy. Is that truly your wish?" He asked doing his best to make sure that Harry understood that he was not angry at him.

"No Headmaster, it's not. I would rather not be in any House, for one simple reason, I refuse to deal with House Rivalries, when we have a larger war to fight. The only reason I would consent to be in any House, is for quidditch. But that really doesn't matter, as I am under a life time ban for playing."

"Your ban has been lifted. If you wish, we can have you placed in the Sorting Hat's first choice for you."

"I believe that will be best Headmaster. Unless of course by know the Sorting Hat has changed it's mind about where to place me."

"That is an easy matter to discern. I will need to call in all of the Heads, for this though."

"Of course Headmaster. If you would be kind enough to point me in the direction of my room, I will unpack my belongings, while I wait for the other two Heads to arrive."

"I have taken the liberty of placing you in the room next to Severus's. It's the second door on the left."

"Thank you Headmaster."

Harry left the living room, and went to check on Galahad. Looking into the room, he found both twins asleep, with Severus watching over them. Smiling when Severus looked up, Harry walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked softly

"Enough to know that I wish I would have been in the room to see Minerva's face when you told her off. Do you expect to be placed in any other house, other than Slytherin?"

"Not really. But I figured it would be easier this way, with no one being able to say that I was being favored."

"Indeed. I'll show you to your room. I believe that Albus had an ulterior motive in placing you there." He said as he led Harry out of the room.

"And that would be?" Harry questioned.

Severus pointed at a seascape on the wall. "through that portrait, you will have direct access to my bedroom."

"The Headmaster is throwing us together in other words."

"Yes, I believe that, that is his intent. Does it bother you?" Severus asked softly, not looking at Harry.

Harry wrapped his arms around Severus from behind, and placed his cheek against his back. "No Severus, it doesn't bother me. I was just hoping that for once, the meddlesome old coot would keep his twinkling eyes out of our lives." he said just as softly.

Severus smiled and turned around to wrap his own arms around Harry. The two of them stood silently for a few minutes, each feeling as if they had come home.

Albus Dumbledore watched the two of them from the doorway before making himself known. Clearing his throat softly, he walked into the room. "I see I was not mistaken in putting Harry in this room. I just ask that the two of you use the utmost discretion. I will be reviewing Harry's potions work so no one can call foul play." He told the two of them. And not giving them a chance to respond he continued, "The other Heads have just arrived so we can go on with Harry's resorting."

"Thank you Headmaster. When we are done, I would like to request the time to speak with Fawkes. I am going to need his permission to turn the feather from my first wand into a protective amulet."

"Of course Harry. He has already made it clear that he will answer your call at anytime." he said, before walking out of the room.

"I'm not sure which is worse, a meddling old coot or his bloody bird." Severus muttered.

"The bird. He has a habit of changing everyone's mood to suit his own needs." Harry laughed. He stepped back far enough to look up at Severus. "Do I really want to know why Fawkes will answer to my call?"

"I'm sure you'll find out when he wants you to." Severus told him, before releasing Harry and starting for the door. "Come, lets go see what the Hat has to say about you now."

"Nothing I haven't heard before, I'm sure." Harry pointed out laughing, as he followed Severus out the door.

The two of them walked into the room, and Harry saw the beat up old hat sitting on a side table, next to a large winged back chair.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. I see you have finally come to your senses. Do you really need to me to go through your head once more."

"I believe it would be best for you to go through my mind again. This way no one can call favoritism."

"Very well, Mr. Potter. I just need to know if you will fight my decision once again."

"No, I won't. I will willing go where you place me, as long as it's not in Gryffindor."

"As you wish, come and let me enter your mind.

Harry settled into the chair and placed that hat on his head. 'Do you plan to drop another sword on my head?' he asked.

'No Mr. Potter, I do not. Though I must say only the heir of Goldric Gryffindor would have been able to pull that sword out. So in truth I could leave you in Gryffindor House.'

'I think not. I was removed from the Tower, by those to afraid to stand up and face their problems.'

'Good point. How about Ravenclaw? You have some of her blood in your veins.'

'Would that be the best place for me?'

'In truth Mr. Potter, you could be placed in any House. The blood of all four Founders runs through you.'

'Interesting. Is there a way I can use that to my advantage, and remain out of all the Houses?'

'I am unsure. Would you be willing to bring me the portrait of the Founders so this can be discussed?'

'Where would I find it?'

'In the Chamber of Secrets.'

'Ugh. I suppose that I could go down there again. I would prefer to have Goldric's sword before I go this time though.'

'Remove me from you head. I will summon the Sword for you.'

Harry did as he was told, and placed the Hat on the table once more, and looked at the others. "He needs to discuss my situation with the Founders." he told them, just as a metallic clink sounded from under the hat. Harry placed his hand under the brim, and grasped the handle of the Sword before lifting the hat up.

"And what are you doing with that Sword this time, Mr. Potter." Mr. Malfoy inquired.

"I prefer to be armed before opening the Chamber of Secrets this time. I was informed that the only place I will be able to find the required portrait would be to retrieve it from Slytherin's Lair." Harry responded. "Since you missed the trip last time, would you like to join me this time. I'm sure the snake is dead, but you never know what other creatures you will find down there." he asked snidely.

"You plan on reopening the Chamber? Are you mad?" Severus demanded.

"Not really. I already told you I would consider going back down. Just think of all the potion ingredients that are available from a 60 foot basilisk."

"You are not going down alone this time." Severus told him, as his fury began to grow.

"I never said I was. In fact I do believe I had just asked Mr. Malfoy to join me. Did you wish to join us also? Besides I wasn't alone last time, it's just that the Professor who joined me last time was unqualified for the job." Harry retaliated while doing his best to hide the shudder of fear that passed through his body at the visible sight of the Potions Master's fury.

"I believe Harry, that we will all go with you. I must confess that I find myself wishing to see the private workrooms of one of the Founders." Dumbledore said, cutting off Severus's angry response.

"As you wish Headmaster, the entrance to the Chamber is located in Moaning Myrtles bathroom, I will wait for all of you that are going there." Harry told him, and stalked out of the room and slammed the portrait closed behind him.

Dumbledore once more cut Severus off before he could follow the teen out of the room, by placing one hand on his arm, "I would be very careful in what you say to him at the moment Severus and remember that he can read emotions and body language extremely well. Keep in mind his years with the Dursley's, where that knowledge was a necessity for his survival, and think about what kind of treatment he had at their hands no matter what." He said softly to Severus, before walking out to join Harry, calling over his shoulder. "I will ask him to open the Chamber in 10 minutes. All of you that are going should be there at that time, or risk getting lost. Severus, I suggest that you call Poppy to watch over the twins."

Severus stared in shock after the Headmaster, before giving his head and a shake and walking towards the fireplace, he was just about to contact the nurse to have her keep an eye on his children, when the twins stumbled out of the bedroom. "Papa, why is Harry so mad? He won't answer us." Morgan asked in concern.

Severus ignored the question and instead leveled a glare at the two of them. "You are both supposed to be asleep, and should have stayed that way even without the Dreamless Sleep potion." he told them.

"By your avoidance of the question, we will assume that you are the reason Harry is upset." Galahad replied matter of factly, " besides it's really hard to sleep when someone is cursing in your head in two different languages." Galahad continued.

Severus closed his eyes and breathed deeply before looking at the twins again. "If you can get through to him, tell him that I'm sorry. And ask him if we need anything to bring down to the Chamber." he told him softly.

Morgan maintained her glare at her father, while Galahad contacted Harry, blocking out his father's emotion riddled eyes. :Kitten? I have a message from father for you.: he sent softly.

:What the hell does he want now? Planning on ordering me not to live my life?: Harry snarled, turning his fear into anger in order to hide it from Galahad.

:Not exactly. He says he's sorry.: Galahad replied, hoping that Harry would open up a little, over what happened between him and his father.

Galahad winced at the deep silence in his mind, and snapped his eyes open to join his sister in glaring at his father. "What the hell did you do?" He snarled, and had the satisfaction of seeing his father step back away from him.

:He did nothing to me Galahad, don't take this out on him.: Harry came back finally, his mental voice quite.

:I'm not sure if I believe you or not Kitten.:

:Believe what you will. I only telling the truth." Harry said, before continuing, "tell Draco that he will need his broom if he's coming down to the Chamber, unless he's scared of course. It will be easier to get around that way. In fact all of those coming should have a broom." Silence fell for a moment before he continued, "also tell your father that he may bring something to collect parts of the Basilisk in, but keep it small. If he plans on taking back any of the venom, make sure that whatever he brings is highly protected. The stuff is extremely potent and will kill in just over a minute.:

Galahad turned to Draco and started to relay the message. "Harry says to bring your broom, unless your too scared to go down with him. He says it will be easier for all those going to be on a broom." Looking at his father he relayed the last of the message, "he also said father, that you may bring what you need to collect ingredients, as long as it's small, and that if you want any of the venom to make sure the container is highly protected, since it will take a little more then a minute to kill." He finished only to hear Harry once more.

:Gali, don't forget your wand this time. I don't feel like having to save your arse like that again.:

:Thanks Kitten.: He said sarcastically.

:Your very welcome Gali. Do hurry though, I don't want to be sitting around all day.:

"Kitten is getting impatient, he says to hurry, because he doesn't want to sit around all day." Galahad told everyone, before walking back to his room to collect his and Morgan's brooms. He was just about to go and collect Harry's broom, when his father walked out with it. Placing a hand on his arm, Galahad stopped his father from walking away. "I'm still not sure what happened, but he said it wasn't your fault. Don't give me a reason to doubt his word." he told him, and then joined the others.

It didn't take long to find Harry, who was sitting on one of the sinks in the second floor girl's bathroom with the sword resting across his lap, talking with one of the school ghosts. When Harry saw them, he jumped down and smiled. "Everyone ready to go?" he asked cheerfully, doing his best to hide his true feelings, and received nods in return. "Good." he replied before throwing a small smirk towards Draco, "Scared Malfoy?" He asked slyly.

You wish Potter." came back the instant reply.

"Ah, second year all over again. All that's missing is watching Lockhart get blasted across the hall in a duel." Harry commented a small grin on his face. "But I'm sure I can arrange to have it happen again. It would be nice to keep the idiot in St. Mungo's for an extra few years."

"What did happen to the buffoon anyway Potter?" Draco asked.

"He tried to oblivate Ron and myself, with Ron's wand, and just like when Ron tried to curse you, had it backfire. I'm glad it happened though, at least I didn't have to worry about getting killed by someone supposedly on my own side, while I was facing off against a young Tom Riddle." he said, and walked over to one of the sinks. Bending down, he focused on the snake carved on the plumbing, and hissed at it to open. When it had opened as far as it would go, Harry looked back at them all. "Alright then, there's about a 4 foot drop at the end of the pipe, it's going to be a slimy and fast trip down, so try not to break anything when you land." he told the group before stopping, "and watch out for the smell it's really bad, and I doubt it's gotten any better over the years." He told them as an afterthought. He was just about to jump into the opening when he looked back at the Professors, "I'm going first! There will be no arguments about this, for the simple reason as I can talk to snakes and will be able to tell any that are around to stay away, none of you can." And then he was gone.

The twins both glared at their father and followed right behind, and Severus was left muttering about turning his children and Harry into potion ingredients. Albus just chuckled before he to, stepped into the opening, followed by everyone else.

When Severus landed at the bottom, Harry had his wand lit, and was examining a section of wall. Walking over, he lit his own wand and held it up so he to could see what Harry was looking at. Harry gave him a small grin, and with a hissed word, a steady glow lit up the tunnel.

"Salazar Slytherin left instructions for the next person who came down here. It's basically a list of commands on how to light up the tunnels." He explained to the Headmaster's curious look.

"Well that's handy." Albus commented.

"Yes it is. I'm afraid we will have some work to do further in, part of the tunnel collapsed, so we are going to have to make a passage way through the rubble. Ron managed to clear a big enough of space for Ginny and myself to get through, but it won't be big enough for any of us now." Harry said as he led them deeper into the tunnels.

It didn't take long for all of them to clear a way through the rock slide. And when they came to the other side, they all got their first look at just exactly how big the basilisk was.

"If this skin is any indication, then the basilisk was over 60 feet Harry." Professor Sprout told him.

"I wasn't really paying attention to how big it was at the time. I was more worried about getting Ginny and myself out alive." He replied back, "we're almost to the main chamber, I'm not sure what kind of condition the carcass is in, but I figured I'd warn you before we got there. I am asking that you don't get to close to the snake. I'm not sure if there is any residue venom from the fang that broke off, when it bit me."

"You survived a bite by that monster?" Mr. Malfoy asked in disbelief. "And were coherent enough to free that house elf afterwards?"

"Fawkes showed up and decided to save me from the venom." Harry shrugged. "I used the fang to destroy the diary first though."

"Remind me to thank that bloody bird later for saving your life." Severus murmured from beside him.

"I will."

When Harry opened the main chamber, he ignored the gasps of shock from those with him, and concentrated on finding the opening to Salazar's inner chamber. A flash of silver heading towards the Potion Master, broke his concentration and almost stopped his heart.

Stop he commanded, and was instantly obeyed by the snake, Severus and Mr. Malfoy, with everyone else followed the other's two mens example. "No one move, I'm not sure if he will attack or not." Harry told them in English.

The only movement in the chamber came from the small snake as it moved closer to Harry, but stopped about five feet away and lowered itself into a nonthreatening position.

You speak. The snake hissed in delight.

Yes. Harry answered hesitating only slightly

The last speaker who entered here killed the King. You smell like him The small creature continued

I am he. Harry said cautiously, getting ready to defend himself just in case.

Then I and the others here owe you our thanks. The King was brought here to kill all who entered. Including other animals The snake explained.

This was not the beast left here by Salazar Slytherin? Harry asked taking a few steps closer to the snake.

No. Lord Slytherin only left my kind here. We where created to guard the Inner Chamber.

I see. Will you attack those who are with me?

I was not attacking. The Dark Man smells interesting and I was only trying to get closer

I see. Would you like me to introduce you to him?

What would you require in return? came the suspicious question.

We are looking for a portrait of the four Founders. A problem has arrived with the placement of a student of the school. The Sorting Hat wishes to ask for their advice. Harry replied, his mouth twitching with the effort not to laugh. 'I guess not only human snakes are suspicious.' he thought.

My name is Slyth. I will bring you to the Inner Chamber, if I have their permission to do so. Was the answer to his un-voiced question.

As the snake disappeared into a crack of the statue, Harry faced the others. "It's alright. He wasn't going to attack. His name is Slyth, and he is asking for permission to allow us into the Inner Chamber." Everyone sighed in relief and Harry wondered over to where the two older Slytherins stood talking. "You both understood the command to stop, didn't you."

"Over the years a number of us learned to understand a few commands in Parseltongue." Severus answered for them both. "I'm not sure about Luc, but I also understand my name."

Mr. Malfoy gave Harry an unreadable look before replying, "Knowing a few commands along with my name has saved my life a few times over the years." He told Harry.

"I can see where that can diffidently come in handy." Harry replied, and watched as Severus walked away to where the King of Serpents lay.

It didn't take long for an answer on wither or not they would be allowed into the Inner Chamber came. Instead of the verbal reply Harry was expecting, part of the statue of Salazar Slytherin, rolled away, and Slyth waited on the other side.

Lord Slytherin, Lord Gryffindor, Lady Ravenclaw, and Lady Huffflepuff, wish for all of you to come forward. He announced.

Harry looked at the surprised faces of those who came with him. "We've been summoned." he said with a shrug of his shoulders, as he followed the silver snake into the Inner Chamber of Salazar Slytherin's private workshop.


	6. Chapter 6

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their betaing Job...

Enjoy.

Chapter Six

Harry was slightly amused as both Severus and Mr. Malfoy came to stand shoulder to shoulder, directly behind him. Both had their wands out and were scanning the area, looking for any threat as Harry stepped forward into the Inner Chamber. Surprisingly enough, the thought of having Lucius Malfoy standing behind him with his wand out did not put Harry on his guard like it should have, but instead gave him an oddly comforting feeling.

The others in the group ranged themselves out behind the two Dark Wizards, and had their wands out as well, which caused Slyth to hiss in amusement. They do realize that it's not a human threat they need to worry about, as they are the only humans in the room? Not to mention the fact that, as you are coming down to see the Four Founders, you are all safe from harm, and that if anything was down here that could harm you, we would protect you all.

Harry snorted in amusement and shook his head. Nope don't think they noticed. But then, I think the only ones who expect an attack from below would be the two directly behind me, even without the proof in the Outer Chambers, Harry replied. That and the fact that nothing is really known about the Founders today, well, you can understand why they are nervous, I'm sure, he added thoughtfully.

"Harry my boy, what are the two of you discussing?" the Headmaster asked, curiosity coloring his voice, cutting off Slyth's answer.

Harry blinked his eyes as he turned around, and looked at the Headmaster in the space left between the two Dark Wizards, before smiling slyly. "Oh, nothing much Headmaster. We were just discussing how blind some humans can be when it comes to being attacked. Slyth was just saying that he wondered if any of you realized that you are the only humans in the room that would be attacking, and then pointed out that anything else will be attacking from low to the ground."

"And we leave the saving of the world in the hands of a bunch of nitwits." Mr. Malfoy snorted softly as he watched the others hastily search the ground. "And what did you tell your little friend in return?"

"That more than likely only the two of you even realized that the greater threat came from the ground, even with the evidence from the Outer Chambers. As it is, we are all under the protection of the Founders, and nothing will harm us while we are down here." Harry directed the first part of this statement to Malfoy Sr., before directing the last part to the others. "You can put away your wands; I'm not sure insulting the Founders would be a good idea," he pointed out.

Dumbledore, Sprout, Flitwick, and McGonagall put away their wands, and were soon followed by the twins, although the three Slytherins kept theirs out. In response to Harry's pointed look at Severus' wand, he received a sneered, "I'm sure that, although the other three Founders may feel insulted, you must admit that Salazar Slytherin would feel insulted if we put them away."

'Must be a Slytherin thing,' Harry thought before shrugging. "Can't say I didn't warn you if this turns out bad," he answered before continuing on into the tunnel leading down into the actual Chambers, with the others following close behind.

The group followed the tunnel even further under ground before it started to rise again slightly before leveling out. Their progress was halted by a heavy oak door that was bolted into the wall, carved with all four of the house symbols, the main one being a giant snake. As the group approached, the snake slowly opened its eyes and studied them all for a moment, before speaking. Only with the Blood of all four Founders may you pass this door, came the rasping hiss and, before Harry could reply it continued, Only in this way may those secrets inside remain away from prying eyes, it finished before closing its eyes and remaining still once again.

Harry's eyed the door in disgust before turning and stalking away from it, cursing under his breath. Turning his back on everyone, he started to pace as he thought through the problem.

"Kitten, what's the problem?" Morgan asked him softly.

:Nothing, absolutely nothing. I just have to admit that I'm the only one who can open that door to people I really don't know that I can trust. So like I said nothing is fucking wrong,: Harry snarled at her.

"It can't be that bad Kitten," Gali said out loud.

"Of course it can."

"Who do you trust to know this?" Morgan asked.

:The two of you and your father,: Harry said in their minds.

"I guess that is a problem then, huh?"

"I've already said that."

"What did the Snake say?"

:Only the blood of all four Founders could open the door, so that all the secrets behind that door would remain that way.:

:So you not only have to keep the fact that you have their blood flowing through you, but you are also unsure if you can trust everyone here enough to let them into that room as well,: Morgan summarized.

"I thought that was obvious," Harry snarled.

"Would the three of you explain the problem to everyone, speaking one at a time? The three of you sound worse then the Weasley twins," McGonagall asked tightly.

"NO!" came from all three at the same time.

"Excuse me? As your Head of House…"

"As my _former_ Head of House, you have no claim over me or my actions, or have you forgotten that I was kicked out of Gryffindor?" Harry cut her off. "I do not have to explain anything to you, or anyone else I do not trust. As there is only one here that holds my complete trust other than the twins, you can see my problem," he continued coldly.

"Harry My Boy, I know that I do not have your complete trust, but everyone here would be willing to help you. You do not have to go this alone," the Headmaster said quietly, as he came to stand before the young man, and placed a hand on his shoulders.

Harry sighed and dropped his head. :Tell your father I really need his advice at the moment,: he said quietly in his mind as he sunk down the wall to sit on the floor.

The twins nodded their understanding and pulled their father aside and cast a quick silencing charm around them as they informed him of what was going on. It only took a few minutes for them to explain, and it took only seconds after that for Severus to join Harry on the floor, and cast his own silencing spell. "Would you care to explain to me what's going through your mind at the moment?" he asked softly.

Harry sighed and rested his head against the wall. "I'm confused more than anything. What that snake said is forcing me to deal with a few things that I really don't want to deal with at the moment. Matters of trust. I know I can trust you and the twins, but I don't know Professors Flitwick and Sprout well enough to trust them. McGonagall has almost lost my trust completely, especially when she tried to hide the actions of the rest of her House. Then there is Lucius and Draco Malfoy, and doesn't that bring up oh so many more issues."

Severus sighed and also leaned against the wall, "Filius and Pomona always stood up for you during meetings. Every time something else happened, they were always thinking of ways to help you, even if nothing was used. Instead they tried to make your time in their classes as easy and stress-free as possible. Minerva has always defended you. No matter what you did, she was there trying to protect you. This recent behavior has to do with a lot of grief at the moment, I believe. The Malfoys I can understand you not trusting with their past treatment of you. I can tell you that the twins do trust Draco with their lives, as I trust Lucius with mine."

Harry opened his eyes and looked up at Severus, trying his best to read the dark eyes in front of him. Nodding his head in understanding, he closed his eyes again. "Thank you."

Severus sighed and reached out to gently touch Harry's arm. "I can't tell you who to trust Harry. But I do know that you can trust Albus."

Harry sighed deeply before dropping his forehead against the Potion Masters shoulder and nodding wearily. That was all Severus needed to drop the spell and ask the Headmaster to join them. "Harry, you need to trust him with this. We all know he made mistakes when it came to you, but he's trying to make up for it. Tell him what's happening," Severus whispered in his ear as the Headmaster sat in front of them and cast his own silencing spell.

Glancing up into the dark eyes for reassurance, Harry turned slightly to look at the Headmaster, and from him to the others. "Only the Blood of the Four Founders can get past that door. It was warded that way so that their secrets remained safe," Harry told Dumbledore softly.

"I see." After a few minutes of thought he continued, "The way that I see it, we have a few options available to us. We can go back out and find the Heirs of the Four Founders and come back, or you can decide which House you want to go into."

"The decision that the Hat was trying to make was not on which House to put me into, but on whether or not I needed to be in a House at all. I think that the Hat has something else it wants to show me while we are down here, but that's only a feeling I have. The only decision that needs to be made is whether or not we can trust the others with both the knowledge of who the Founders' Heir is, but also with the knowledge of the secrets behind that door," Harry told them.

"Explain!" Severus half snapped.

"I can open the door on my own. I just don't know if that knowledge should be given to the others. I don't know who to trust anymore," Harry admitted.

"And that's what you were arguing with the twins about," Albus stated knowingly.

"I wouldn't call it arguing," Harry muttered.

"Would it help if I told you they are all members of the Order?" Albus asked.

"You mean the bunch who were supposed to protect me over the past few summers?"

"I can see why you are reluctant to trust them. But if you don't start trusting some of them, you are going to end up so very alone."

"I trust Severus and the twins."

"Yes and I'm extremely happy that you have found that trust in the three of them, but you need to open yourself up to trust others around you," Albus said softly.

Harry closed his eyes against the pain that started to well up in his heart, and the tears that wanted to fall. "I did trust others," he said softly before taking an uneven breath as he tried to push all the emotions away, and carefully hid behind his masks once again. "I really don't want to discuss this here and now," he said. His voice trembled softly with suppressed emotion. "For now, I guess I will just have to ask them to give me their Oaths that nothing is said beyond those who are here."

Albus and Severus shared a look of concern, but carefully hid it so the others did not see it. "For now that is all I ask, Harry," Albus said instead of the many things he wanted to say, knowing it was the wrong place and time to go any further with the conversation. Breaking the silencing charm, he carefully stood from his uncomfortable position on the floor and with a small smile commented, "I'm getting too old to sit on stone floors. I do believe that I'll leave that to you youngsters."

Severus snorted softly as he also stood. "Then why do I feel twice my age after sitting there for a few minutes?" he remarked softly as he helped Harry to stand as well.

"Its times like these that make me wonder if the two of you have the stamina to keep up with us at times." Harry smirked as he dusted off his robes as much as possible, his masks once more firmly in place.

As Albus walked a way with a twinkle in his eyes, Severus growled softly in Harry's ear. "Try me Harry, I promise that you'll regret those words," causing Harry to look up at him with wide eyes, before he blushed bright red. With a small chuckle, Severus turned away from the young man and joined the others, smugly waiting for Harry to join them over by the door.

Harry continued to stare at the Potions Master as he tried to wipe his mind of the images that comment pulled up, and set his mind once again at the task at hand, but not even seeing everyone waiting on him helped, so he did the one thing he could think of. :Distract me… please… your father… evil man…: he stammered to the twins.

Galahad and Morgan looked from Harry bright red face to their father's smug smirk, before breaking down in laughter. :Aw, did he say something you liked?: Gali snorted in amusement.

Morgan tried to bring herself under control, but one look at Harry's face set her off again. It took a few tries before she managed to a reply:The Dark Lord in a bright pink tutu,: before she started to laugh again.

Malfoy Sr. arched a brow at Severus, his mind working furiously at everything he had seen and heard that day before coming to the only logical conclusion and drawling out, "My my, Severus, what ever did you say to young Mr. Potter to get that reaction from the three of them?" putting only slight emphasis on the word 'young'.

Instead of answering Severus just leaned back against the wall and watched his children in amusement for a moment and then shifted his eyes slightly in order to watch Harry also. He did so just in time to see Harry's shudder of revulsion and see the disgust in his eyes. For a moment he felt hurt well up in his heart, but Harry's next words calmed that feeling.

"Thank you for that image, Morgan. I don't think I'll ever get the sight of Voldemort wearing a bright pink tutu out of my head."

Everyone else also shuddered as Morgan got her breath back. "You're very welcome Kitten, but you can't really blame me, as you gave very short notice."

"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever," he muttered as he walked back to the group. Turning serious he continued, "I am of two minds about trusting you all with this information, but, as it has been pointed out to me, I am going to need to trust you all to some extent. In order to get this done and get out of here sometime today, I'm going to need you to all vow on your magic that nothing is said to anyone other than those here, and especially not in a place where you may be overheard. The information you will learn today may be just the thing that Tom Riddle will need to destroy us all."

"Surely it cannot be that bad?" Professor Flitwick asked, only to be answered with four heads nodding that yes it was. "Alright then, in that case, I Filius Flitwick, give Harry Potter an Oath on my Magic that nothing I hear or see today will be found out by any means by another being. I also hereby Vow that I will do everything possible to help Mr. Potter in any way that is available to me, so mote it be." As soon as the last words left his mouth, a deep blue haze surrounded him, before moving towards Harry, and absorbing into his skin, showing all that the Oath was given in good faith, and had been accepted.

One by one the others made the same Oath, the only difference being the color of the spell themselves, as their own aura was made available for all to see for that single instant in time. As the last Oath was made and accepted, Harry had to catch himself from staggering under the power that each Oath gave him, as a small part of everyone's magic joined with his.

Catching his breath after a moment, Harry walked over to the door, and ran a nervous hand through his always messy hair. He still did not think even with the others' Oaths that this was a good idea, but knew that Severus and Dumbledore were both correct, and with a last look in Severus' direction, took a deep breath and hissed at the snake guarding the door. In which way would you like the Blood of the Founders?

A slight grinding sound echoed in the chamber as the snake once more came alive I will need to Taste it, came the reply.

Then it is my blood you need to Taste.

The snake became even more animated as it raised his head to take a closer look at Harry. In that case, young Heir, place your hand on the door amongst my coils so that I may Taste and judge your blood, came the hissed instructions as it watched Harry carefully.

Harry took another deep breath before placing his hand on the door. He watched in awe tinged in a little fear as the coils of the snake came alive and wrapped around his arm. Trying to flex his fingers he found that he could not do so. Yanking on his arm also did nothing but hurt his shoulder, and as he felt something sharp pierce his arm in the same spot Wormtail did a few years before, what was left of his rational mind disappeared and panic took over, as a sob escaped his throat before he could choke it back.

Morgan and Galahad had a bad feeling the moment the snake coiled around Harry's arm that something was really wrong. Moments later, the feeling was confirmed as they almost fell with the force of their bond mate's panic as it slammed down the mind link. Instantly the twins went into action, one trying to reach through the bond to Harry, and the other trying to beat back the panic so that all three of them could function.

Wrapping his arms around Morgan, Galahad pulled his mind desperately away from Harry, and turned pleading eyes on his father. "Papa, please, he needs help… please… help him," he moaned as both twins lost the battle against Harry's mind and collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Draco was the first to react, and leaped from his spot against the wall to the twins' side, running his fingers over both of their pulse points; he was relieved to feel a strong pulse. Sitting himself so he was touching both twins, with Morgan's head settled in his lap, he placed his finger tips against her temples and followed his own link with Morgan down into her mind and started searching for the link between the twins and Harry, hoping to shield their minds enough for them to function.

What he found was pure chaos, the link between the three of them, fluctuating dangerously as, from what he could see, Harry tried to destroy it subconsciously in a bid to protect the twins. Growling deep in his throat he grabbed at Harry's end of the link and held tight, using his own magic to keep the panic-stricken boy from severing it completely. Sending a snarled, 'Hurt her Scarhead, and I'll have your head mounted on my wall by the end of the night,' through the link, Draco was gratefully when the pressure eased off slightly.

Draco was not sure what exactly happened next, but a power surge knocked him off his mental feet, and he had just enough power left to stand between Harry and the twins and put up a shield to protect all of their minds from shattering, before he too saw nothing but black.

Severus Snape almost reacted as fast as his Godson. With a glance he took in what the blond teen was doing, before reaching out to Harry. Wrapping one hand around his waist and the other around the arm being held tight by the wooden snake, he started whispering words of comfort, trying to break through the panic. His touch he knew would do one of two things, calm the teen or break him. He really had no idea what exactly the young man in his arms was reacting to, but he would do everything in his power to keep Harry safe.

It seemed like an eternity passed before he felt Harry reacting to his constant stream of soothing babble, and relaxed his arm around the teens waist, only to have Harry lean against him more fully. He also felt the jolt of surprise that ran through Harry's body, and knew instinctively that Draco had somehow managed to reach Harry's mind. The relief that washed through him was quickly replaced with surprised horror, as a jolt of power raced through Harry's body and exploded around them in a shower of bright light, throwing everyone in the chamber to the ground. His last thought before the world went black was a desperate wish that all four teens linked together remained whole.

hp

Draco woke slowly, but refused to open his eyes, knowing that it would cause the pain in his head to increase if he did so. 'Potter, I'm gonna kill you,' he whimpered in his mind.

:With the way I feel at the moment, I'll gladly let you, Ferret,: came the whispered reply.

With a startled mental yelp which caused all four teens to moan in pain, Draco opened his eyes slightly and turned his head to where he sensed the Boy-Who-Lived lay. :What the fuck is going on?: he growled

:Settle down, Dragon. As soon as we relieve the pain in our heads, we'll figure it out. There's no sense growling at anyone until then,: Galahad cut in, with Morgan murmuring her agreement softly.

Gentle hands raised Draco's head, and the mouth of a potions bottle was placed against his mouth. Tipping his head back slightly, he allowed the potion to flow down his throat before he was allowed to lie back once more. A sigh of relief escaped him as the pain disappeared, echoed by three other identical sighs. Opening his eyes he meet the concerned gaze of his Father and Godfather and gave them a slight nod of acknowledgment, and watched as the concern turn to relief as he gently pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around in amazement at the room he found himself in, before his eyes settled on four separate portraits along the wall.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Potter, Miss Annerson, Mr. Annerson and Mr. Malfoy. You had the adults with you most concerned," a warm voice said softly from the portrait of the blond woman.

"You did indeed. We, too, were concerned. If we would have known that the four of you were mind linked, we would have proceeded in a different manner," rejoined the stunning dark haired woman on the left of the blond.

Harry's eyes opened wide in astonishment as he looked at the four portraits, before he focused on dark man dressed totally in green. Salazar Slytherin, he said lapsing into Parseltongue.

Indeed, young Heir, came the reply in the same language, before he switched to English. "Welcome to the Chamber of the Founders. It's been many years since we have had visitors," Slytherin said to everyone.

"That's because it was your bright idea to make sure no one but a Parselmouth could reach us," said the last of the four.

"Hush Godric, you agreed to the security as well as the rest of us," the blond scolded.

"Could the two of you not argue in front of our guest, Helga? It's awfully rude," the woman who could only be Rowena Ravenclaw asked softly.

Helga blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Of course, Ro. My apologies to all of you. Like Sal said, it's been a long time, and I'm afraid that I've become too accustomed to just having the four of us here."

Lucius, seeing that the four Heads of House and the Headmaster were still in shock of being in the presence of the Hogwarts Four, took it upon himself to answer. "Your apologies, kind as they are, are not required, Milady," he replied smoothly. "As we were all occupied with the health of the children when we arrived, please allow me to make introductions," he continued and waited for the acknowledgment to continue. When he received it, he started with the Headmaster. "This gentleman is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster and Master of Defense against the Dark Arts and Transfigurations. This lady by his side is Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Mistress of Transfigurations as well as Head of Gryffindor. This is Filius Flitwick, Master of Charms and Head of Ravenclaw. This lady is Pomona Sprout, Mistress of Herbology and Head of Hufflepuff. To my left, Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin. I am Lord Lucius Malfoy and this is my son Draco. The twins are Morgan-Ann and Galahad Annerson-Snape, and last but certainty not least Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived and the apparently your Heir," he finished, motioning to each person in turn.

"Distinguished guests, all of you. As you may have guessed, I am Helga Hufflepuff, the others are Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin." Each, as named, acknowledged their name with a nod of the head. When Helga was done, she once more turned to Lucius, seeing that the others were still not going to be able to answer any questions. "Lord Malfoy, why have you all come to us?"

Harry, finally coming to his senses, stood up and walked over to Malfoy Sr. on unsteady feet, and was extremely thankful to the older man for the arm he held out to help keep Harry balanced. "I'm afraid that they all came down because of me, My Lady. There was a problem with the sorting of one of the students and the Sorting Hat requested that I bring it down here to you," he answered, standing firm as all four sets of eyes settled on him.

"My old hat, had a problem with sorting a student? That should not be possible," Godric said in surprise.

"I believe the reason is more on the fact that this student does not want to be sorted into any House, then what House to put him in," Harry answered.

Rowena watched the young man like an eagle would her prey. Noticing how pale he still was as well as how tight he held onto the arm of the older wizard, she decided to take matters into her own hands. With a wave of her hand enough seating for all of the living glimmered into view. "Please have a seat. There is no need for any of us to stand," she said, while directing a small sofa right behind the Heir and his Protector.

Lucius directed Harry to sit in the middle of the seat and took his place beside him, knowing that Severus would take the other side. When everyone was sitting comfortably, the group turned their attention back to the Founders.

"Good, now that we have that taken care of, we can get down to business. Who exactly is that old hat having troubles placing?"

Here Albus spoke up. "I think in order to understand why the Hat is having trouble with this student you will need some back ground information. Six years ago, the Hat first had problems with this same student. It seems that there where two houses that would have suited him fine. Due to prejudice propaganda that the young man heard, he begged the Hat not to place him Slytherin, so he was placed in Gryffindor. Over the past five years, he was often hailed as the ultimate Gryffindor, along with two of his greatest friends. This past summer, his friends and their family were killed by Lord Voldemort, who claims to be the Heir of Slytherin, and is trying to bend the Wizarding world to its knees. In the aftermath, those in Gryffindor Tower have placed the blame directly on this young man's shoulders and have denied him entrance into the tower, and it was the wish of all that he be removed from that House. When the Hat tried to make a decision on where to place him this time, the sorting proved to be difficult indeed, especially since the young man in question would rather not be placed in any house at all."

The Founders stared at the group before them in shock for a few minutes before Slytherin started to hiss in anger I knew that there where problems amongst the Houses, but to be this cowardly… Getting up and pacing behind his chair he continued to hiss, his words no longer making sense to any who could understand Parseltongue.

"Salazar, you need to calm down and repeat what you just said," Godric said in exasperation.

"Um, Lord Gryffindor, you really don't know what he's saying about the group of cowardly lions taking residence in your Tower," Harry said with a snicker.

Godric stared at Harry and then at Salazar before nodding his head in agreement. "You're right, I don't want to understand what he's saying, as I would more then likely agree with him, and then I would never hear the end of it," he said with a glare at the current Head of Gryffindor. "Now tell us, who is the student in question?" he demanded of the living.

"Harry Potter," Albus said.

This brought Slytherin back to himself as he stared at Harry before snarling a few more well chosen words in Parseltongue that had Harry blushing in embarrassment. When he once more brought himself under control, he sat down in his chair, and started talking. "The House Ghosts keep us informed of what goes on in the Castle. We have heard much about how at the age of 15 months Mr. Potter survived the killing curse and exactly what has been down to him in the years he was a student here. Having his own House turn on him is almost an act of treason. Having most of those living in the Castle turn on anyone, for any reason is in itself another act of treason. The punishment for these types of crimes is expulsion from this castle and they never will be allowed to return again. This includes any of the Professors," he told them all in a cold voice. "This is the Law sat down by us, the Founders when the school was still new. And this Law exists to this day."

As his words sank in, the Professors blanched. Not even the Headmaster had remembered this Law, and as a whole everyone but three were exempt from this law: Harry, being the victim, and the twins, being new and already extremely loyal to their new-found friend.

Harry felt the men on either side of him stiffen with concern, and reached out to grab hold of both of them. "Lord Slytherin, it is also written that the choice of whether to remove those from the school remains in the hands of the victim, correct?"

Slytherin and Harry's eyes locked. "Yes my Heir, you are correct."

"Then there is nothing more to say on this subject. I refuse to allow anyone to be removed from the sanctuary of these walls. To do so would be a crime with a deserved punishment equal to one worse than death itself, for it is written that premeditated murder within these walls is met with a half life, a life of being struck down by the actual fires of hell itself," Harry pointed out. "Besides, it was a hypothetical situation. As long as there were at least five people in each house plus three professors who did not turn their backs, then that Law could not be invoked," Harry added calmly, much to everyone's surprise.

I see Rowena gave you a working knowledge of the Law, Slytherin hissed in disgust.

Actually I do believe that part came from you, Harry replied.

Using my own words against me Little Snake?

Of course Lord. I have a reputation of being a cheeky brat to live up to! Harry said with a smirk.

Slytherin throw his hands up into the air, before turning on Rowena. "That Child takes more after you, Fair Raven, then any one else," he said in disgust.

Rowena raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "And, if I may ask, Sal, how did you come to that conclusion?"

With a sneer directed at Harry he replied, "Because he is nothing more than a cheeky little brat!"

"Ah, in that case, young Raven, you have my congratulations. Not many can affect his Royal Snakeness in that way," she replied with a mischievous smile, amongst the laughter from almost everyone in the room.

Harry returned her smile with one that matched. "I've had a lot of practice when it comes to getting on the nerves of Slytherins. It's a hobby I've perfected over the years," Harry told her.

"Indeed," both Severus and Lucius intoned, causing even more laughter.

McGonagall watched the proceedings, her eyes cold, before she turned back to the matter at hand. "I do believe, Ladies and Gentlemen, that we should get back on track. We do have a school to run," she said, her voice stern.

"Quite right, Minerva," Albus said calmly before turning back to the Founders. "How do we proceed with young Harry?"

:I really wish the lot of them would quit with the 'young' part. I've never been a child, and I don't like being treated as one,: Harry snarled in the minds of Draco and the twins, causing the twins to giggle and Draco to snort with laughter

"Is there a problem Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"No Ma'am," Harry said out loud. :Just the fact that you seem to have a stick shoved up your…: He trailed off mentally.

:Kitten!!: the twins exclaimed in shock as Draco stared at him in disbelief.

"Alright, I do have a couple questions for the four of you," Harry said to the Founders. "The first of which would be, just what happened outside that door? I felt like someone had washed me in liquid fire," Harry told them all.

"Tell me about it. It felt like something exploded in your mind, and the backlash came flowing through me, and into the twins" Draco added.

"We were already unconscious, so I don't remember exactly what happened, but I do remember a lot of light and heat flowing over us. I'm not sure our minds would have survived if Draco hadn't thrown up a shield," Gali also added, Morgan nodding her agreement beside him.

Rowena looked at the four of them thoughtfully before replying. "That was a spell that we added to that door to ensure that only our true Heir could get in. The 'liquid fire' you all felt was the unlocking off Harry's true power, and a lot of knowledge that we gave him. I just never suspected that you three would be caught up in the Awakening," she told them.

Severus cleared his throat softly gaining Rowena's attention. "Four. I was holding him at the time. That snake sent Harry into a panic attack and I was doing my best to bring him out of it when the power surge hit."

The Founders exchanged a long look before turning back to the others. "We are honestly not sure what will happen to the four of you," Salazar said with a small nod towards Severus. "The best that we can do is wait and see what's going to happen now."

The news brought silence to group for a few minutes as they allowed this information to sink in. Draco was the one that broke the silence. "We already have a side effect" he said quietly. "When Potter's panic attack caused the twins' collapse, I used the Bond I have with Morgan to enter her mind, and searched for the connection between the three of them. When I felt it start to break I grabbed hold and kept it together for as long as I could. It was then that the power surge came. I've been hearing the Prat-That-Lived in my head ever since," he told them.

:Yeah, like I'm thrilled to have you in my mind either Ferret,: Harry replied mentally, although he said nothing out loud, only dropping his head into his hands.

"Anything to add Mr. Potter?" Helga prodded.

"Why me?" he asked, already knowing that no one had the answer to his question, so he continued. "Never mind answering that. There are two things more I would like to ask, before we need to go back to the main part of the castle. One, what are we going to do about what House I am going into?"

It was Godric that answered, "As the Heir to all of us, you are above the House system. The only one who you can answer to is the Headmaster. And that's only if you break any of the major rules."

This caused all six adults to groan, although it was Severus who commented. "Like that's going to be any different then any other year. He's broken more rules in his time here then anyone else I know off. The only thing keeping him in check was the lost of points to his House."

"Actually that's not true," Harry told them quietly. "The only thing that stopped me from doing anything really dangerous was Hermione. She was the voice of reason amongst the three of us," he finished, before turning and buried his head in Severus shoulder as he started to shake.

Ignoring everyone else around them, Severus pulled Harry into his lap and wrapped his arms around him, once more speaking to him words of comfort as Harry tried his best to keep his grief at bay for a little while longer. When Severus looked up, he met the twinkle in the Headmaster's gaze and the disapproval in McGonagall's. His glare clearly told her to keep her thoughts to herself while Harry was around to hear them. "Harry, what was your second question?" he asked softly.

"Can we take them out of here? It would be a lot easier if we didn't have to come down here to talk to them," he murmured. Severus looked up and repeated the question, knowing the no one else heard it the first time.

The other founders look to Salazar for the answer. As our Heir you can order this room to move closer to your own. You already have the knowledge to do so since we gave it to you with that power transfer. There are many things in here that may be of help to you, but don't reveal it to anyone you doubt your trust in. You cannot remove these portraits from this room. But there are smaller ones in that small chest under Rowena that you may give to the Headmaster. Keep the chest with you, though; you never know when it's going to come in use.

Harry nodded his head in understanding and unwrapped Severus' arms from around his waist. Walking over to the indicated chest Harry attempted to open it, only to have it refuse. Casting a glance over his shoulder at the original Snake, he raised an eyebrow. "Would you, My Lord, be kind enough to tell me how exactly I'm to open this box?" he asked mockingly

"And here I thought you were our Heir," Salazar mocked back. "I'm sure you remember how to open up the Snake's Lair. Just adapt it to fit your needs."

"Oh of course, if that's all that's really needed," Harry snorted before turning back to the small chest and studying it intently. It took him a moment before he was able to distinguish the pattern carved in the chest but when he did, he almost laughed. Smothering the sound, he placed his fingers so they touched each of the animals representing the Houses, and felt the tiny pins prick his fingers. In the name of the four Founders of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I command you to open, he hissed, and watched with a small smile as the box opened.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N... I found the aura colors at just in case anyone wanted to know. The meanings of colors are at the end of chapter.

Disclaimer...This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Parseltongue

:Mind speak:

Chapter Seven

As the lid of the chest opened completely, Harry couldn't help but gasp out loud. :Oh Dear Merlin!: Harry sighed into his mind as well, not realizing that he was allowing the other three to hear him.

:What?: he heard asked back, and turned around to face his bond-mates, smiling for the benefit of the adults present. :Nothing I can explain here. It will have to wait until we are behind closed and silenced doors.: he told them as he turned his back on them once again.

Gently taking out the shrunken portraits, he turned to face Salazar, Is it safe to shrink this chest, My Lord?

Yes, Salazar returned immediately, almost like he expected that question.

Good. Expect me to rant at the four of you later. Right now I want to get back to the upper levels. No offense but this place brings back a lot of bad memories.

I expect no less from you Young Snake. We will await your Call.

Nodding his head, Harry turned back to the chest, and with a casual wave of his hand, shrunk it down before putting it in his pocket. Turning back to the other's he grinned. "We really should be getting back. We've been down here long enough."

"Indeed, my boy. Did you get everything you needed?" Albus asked.

"Yes Sir." Walking over to him, Harry carefully laid the four portraits into the Headmaster's hands. "I believe that you can consult with them on any number of things now," Harry finished.

"Very well. My Lords and Ladies, it has been a true pleasure to meet you," Albus said as he turned to the Founders and gave a short bow.

"The pleasure, Headmaster Dumbledore, has been ours. Please make sure to place our portraits in a well-traveled area. We would love to be able to converse with the students that now occupy our school," Lady Ravenclaw stated, giving him a regal nod.

Harry simply waved to his ancestors, while the others made their own good byes. He knew that soon after he got upstairs he would be calling this room to him. Making his way back through the tunnel, with the others following behind, his mind kept going over just what else was in that box, and prayed that his bond mates did not pick up on any of his thoughts.

When they reached the Main Chamber once more, Harry turned sharply to the left instead of going back the way the came, and with a hissed command at a seemingly solid wall, opened up another, smaller chamber. Motioning for the others to join him, he closed the door once again, before closing his eyes and placing both hands on the walls and released a steady stream of his magic.

"What are you doing, Mr. Potter?" Lucius drawled, hiding his nervousness.

Opening his eyes, which were alight with power, Harry grinned at the elder blond. "This room is a magical lift. I'm not sure exactly how the one at the Ministry works, but this needs someone to directly feed it magic to go from one spot to another, at least the first few times anyway. I'm taking us to the dungeons, and we should come out near an unused corridor by the potions classroom," he explained, closing his eyes once again.

"Does this 'lift' only go to the Dungeons?" Flitwick squeaked in excitement.

"Would you like me to drop you off in your office, Sir?" was Harry's distracted reply, and brought the lift to a halt. Taking his hands off the wall, he allowed himself to slump tiredly against it. "I would have taken us further, but it's been a long day, and I think I'm starting to reach the limits with my magic," he said with a soft, tired voice.

:Yeah right, Kitten,: Gali said in his mind while the other two snorted their own disbelief.

Harry flashed them a mental grin. :Ah, but they don't need to know that,: he admonished. :So be good little bond-mates and back me up. I'll explain when we get back to our rooms.:

Gali and Draco flashed each other a glance, amusement dancing in their eyes, before moving to either side of Harry. "Come on, Scarhead, let's get you to your room so you can rest," Draco said, while pulling one of Harry's arms around his shoulders and one of his own around Harry's waist, Gali echoing his movements. Then, they waited for the door to open once again at Harry's command.

Morgan slid one hand across Harry's shoulders, before turning to the others and bowed to them all. "If you will all excuse us, as Harry said, it has been a long day, and fighting Magical backwash is not my favorite past time," she said to them all, and the led the three boys out, careful to keep her laughter to herself.

The four of them kept up the charade right up until they reached their suite and Lucius and Severus had all joined them. As soon as the door closed and was warded the teens dropped to the floor with laughter.

"Magical backwash, Morgan?" Harry choked through his laughter. "That was brilliant!"

"I thought so," Morgan said while giggling. "Imagine that rush of pure power being anything but invigorating?" With that, all four started laughing once again.

Lucius looked at the four teens with a slight tint of shock in his eyes. "Are you telling me that Mr. Potter lied to the Headmaster?"

Severus gave him a look of amusement. "Why yes Luc, haven't you figured that out yet?"

The four of them settled down quickly, and three of them even managed to actually sit on the furniture other then the floor. Harry, for his part, just sat with his back against Severus's chair. Morgan kept giving her father confused looks, which almost set Harry off once again. "How did you figure it out Papa?"

Severus sighed and summoned a house elf to get drinks and snacks, before answering, combing his fingers lightly through Harry's hair. "I expect it's one of the side effects from being connected to Harry while that power surge came through, just like your Mind Bond. Instead of hearing Harry though, I feel him. I knew he wasn't tired, the same way I felt his flash of wicked amusement over putting one over on the Headmaster," he explained finally.

Harry kept only part of his attention on the rest of the conversation, after hearing Severus' explanation. Instead of listening, he allowed himself to sink into his mind and study any and all new connections, focusing on the fingers running through his hair to help calm his thoughts. This was something he learned over the summer, and he found that even though he could not occlude his mind, he was able to clear and organize it. Standing in his mental room, he could clearly see the double bond he shared with the twins, a strong sharp blue, and a fainter purplish one that after 'tasting' it, he found went to Draco. A bright gold connection he found led to Severus, and much to his astonishment, a faint dark green connection had started to form between him and Lucius. Tracing each of the bonds so that he could find them again easily, he took another good look around the room, carefully avoiding the dark, hidden parts, before opening his eyes, only to find everyone staring at him. "What?"

Draco took a slow deep breath before answering, "We could feel you! What ever you did, we could feel you."

"Would you explain to us what you did Harry?" Severus asked.

Harry sat back and tried to put the words together to explain what he saw. "Over the summer… Hermione… sent me a book on meditation. It was the last time I heard from her." Here Harry broke off, fighting the tears that wanted to break free, and took a few deep breaths to bring his emotions back under control. The gentle mind touches by his bond-mates helping to ground him once again; Severus's fingers no longer ran through his hair, but had slipped down to lightly message his neck. Once more in control he let out a deep shuddering breath and continued, "I spent every free moment over the summer practicing, and eventually I found myself inside my mind. The first thing I noticed was how cluttered it was, so I went to work clearing out the clutter and organizing it. After that I found that I could pick out different areas specializing in different gifts. Some of those places haven't opened up yet, but it looks like the seals are starting to break on them," he explained.

Here Severus broke in. "That's exactly how your mind should be: clear and organized. And you're right, those would-be new gifts that are starting to open up."

Harry nodded his head in understanding. "The only downside to this is the fact that I still cannot close my mind to invasion," Harry spat in disgust.

Lucius looked at him with faint shock showing in his eyes. "Why can you not occlude? That's the next logical step, to keep someone out of your mind."

"That, Mr. Malfoy, is a long story. Just suffice it to say that you can't keep someone out when they are constantly there," Harry replied, not failing to notice the sharp glance he received from Severus. Taking a deep breath he continued with his explanation. "Thanks to the Founders, I found that the best way to find what to expect is to look at my magic and see what has been altered or added. When I entered my mind, it was clear that there were a number of changes: some of the areas which represent my gifts are opened part way, a new section of knowledge has been added, the gifts I did have are now strengthened-- how much, I'm not sure, but I could tell that they are much stronger then they were. The most important changes would be the bonds. I'm assuming that each color represents either what you mean to me, or your auras." Here Harry looked at the two men for clarification.

Lucius looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "That, I guess, depends on what colors you found. My aura is a deep red, while Draco's goes through the range of earth tones. Morgan's is a yellow-green with shades of emerald green, Galahad is an orange-red with shade of deep red and emerald green and Severus is also red, but his is a clear red," he explained.

Sighing, Harry shook his head. "Then it's what you mean to me," Harry told them. "My bond with the twins is blue, while Draco's is a pale purple, moving towards blue. Severus is gold. The most surprising thing, though, is yours Mr. Malfoy. Yours is just starting to develop but it's coming in a dark green."

"You share an unknown bond with Lucius," Severus asked, startled. Jealousy flared inside him.

"I told you it was surprising, Severus," Harry replied reaching out to touch the other man's arm, feeling faintly from their bond the jealousy Severus was feeling. Reaching out he placed a soothing mixture of magic and thought across it, and was rewarded when Severus relaxed, not noticing when the others smiled slyly.

Harry looked over at Draco, and locked his eyes with the other teen. Putting up a shield so only Draco could hear him, he continued the next part mentally. :I can break this you know, if that's what you truly want. Neither of us asked for this bond, and it's still weak enough that it's possible at the moment.:

:How much time do we have before it's no longer an option?:

:Not long-- a few hours at most. The bond is getting stronger by the minute. If you want it done, it needs to be done now.:

Draco sat back and looked around at the others. "I think, Harry, that this should be done verbally. It's too important to leave the others out."

"As you wish. I wasn't sure if you wanted everyone to know."

"What are the two of you talking about?" Gali asked.

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples softly. A headache was starting to form, and he wasn't exactly surprised about it. "The mental bond that Draco and I share is not yet permanent. It will be in a matter of hours, though. I can break it, if that is Draco's wish, especially since neither of us asked for it."

"Are you sure you can break it Harry?" Severus asked in concern.

Harry simply nodded his head.

"Kitten, are you sure that it's a good idea?" Gali asked

Harry glared at him. "If I was sure that it was a good idea, I would never have agreed to ask the rest of you. I would have simply asked Draco if he wanted it, and then done whatever. Hell Gali, we've spent years hating each other only to be hit with this!" he snarled in anger and confusion.

Lucius, Severus and Draco were all silenced by Morgan calmly raising her hand. "What do you want Harry?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter what I want. It never has, and I don't expect it to start now." The anger in his voice was winning over the confusion, and that anger was quickly turning to fear at what Draco would choose.

"Yes it does Harry. It matters to us." Galahad told him.

Harry stood and started pacing. He needed to lose some of the energy he could feel building. The distress he was feeling was clearly being bled through the connections he had with the others, to the point that even Lucius was able to feel it, even though his link was the weakest.

Watching Harry pace back and forth Severus thought he knew the reason for him wanting to break the connection, but he needed to hear Draco's thoughts on the subject. "Draco? What do you want?" he asked softly.

Leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together, Draco continued to watch Harry, going through in his mind everything that the Boy Wonder had done over the years before forming a reply. "In all honesty, Uncle Sev, I'm not sure. This had to have happened for a reason, but what that reason is I don't know." Taking a deep breath he sent his own mental caress towards Harry, and felt fear and panic from the bond. "For whatever reason Harry seems to fear having this bond, and I feel it as well, but I don't think it's for the same reasons. I think the best idea is to keep it." With these words, the bond flared with an even greater sense of panic before going dead. Instinctively knowing that it had not been severed, just blocked fully, Draco looked up and met shimmering green eyes that reflected many different emotions.

Harry wasn't sure what he was expecting, but for Draco to keep the bond was not it. Looking into his grey eyes, Harry could only see how serious the other teen was being. Feeling panic start to overwhelm him, Harry spun on his heel and ran to his room. The door slammed shut and, without thinking about it, he sealed and warded it so that no one could come in, and collapsed on his bed shaking, where he finally let go of the emotional storm within and let it flow over him with a howl of agony.

Morgan and Galahad were only steps away from Harry when his bedroom door slammed shut, and had just reached it, with Draco a step behind, when Harry screamed out his pain. The wash of magic behind that one scream sent all three teens flying across the room, and knocked them as well as the two adults unconscious.

hp

Bill, Charlie, Fred and George Weasley sat sitting outside the Headmaster's office as they waited for Dumbledore to return from where ever had been. Fortunately they had only been waiting for about fifteen minutes when the sound of voices reached them. Standing from the spots they had taken on the floor, they were greeted with the sight of three of the four Heads of House and the Headmaster talking excitedly amongst themselves.

Dumbledore looked up when a flash of red caught his attention, and gave the four remaining Weasley boys-- the last of their entire family-- a sad smile. "Good evening, my boys. Would you like to join me in my office?" he asked softly. When he received nods of agreement, he turned to the others with him. "See to your Houses; we will continue to discuss this issue when Severus is free to join us," he told them while motioning the Weasleys up to his office.

When they where all seated with the required cups of tea and lemon drops he finally asked, "What can I help you with today?"

Fred and George gave Bill an uneasy look, and motioned for him to continue. Sighing softly Bill looked into a pair of sadly twinkling eyes. "This past summer has been… hard… on all of us," he started, blinking tears away from his eyes, and taking a bracing sip of his tea. "One of our mother's greatest wishes was to have all of her children finish their schooling. We were wondering what needed to be done in order for Fred and George to be readmitted to finish their last year and a half here." he questioned, his voice soft.

Of all the things he expected to hear, this, the Headmaster had to admit was not one of them. Sitting back in his chair, he studied the Weasleys as he thought about what to do. "Well, this was not what I was expecting," he said to buy a little time.

Fred looked up at the Headmaster and gave him a small smile. "I know that this will surprise everyone, but we do have more then one reason for wanting to return," he said.

George took the explanation from there: "We do want to honor our mother's request, but we also don't want to leave Harry. He's going to need our support more then ever."

"I see." Taking a sip of tea, he continued, "You do know that Harry has the support of others within this school?" Dumbledore asked.

Bill gave him a small smile. "Severus and the two teens I saw with him yesterday? Yes, I know. I also know that Harry broke down in my arms yesterday morning, and that he blames himself for what happened. Having the twins here will reassure him that we don't blame him, and that we support him even now," he said sadly.

"I see," Albus said once again. "I must admit, my boys, that this situation has never happened with me before, and that I have never heard of anyone actually coming back to this school after they have quit," he told them.

All four Weasleys seemed to draw in on themselves, the same thought going through all of them. No chance of coming back.

Albus' eyes twinkled as he gave them his next bit of news. "Fortunately, we have just come into possession of portraits of the Four Founders. Maybe they will be able to come up with a solution to this problem."

Fred and George's heads snapped up as the Headmaster stood and retrieved the portraits from his pocket and resized them, hope reflecting in their eyes.

The Founders blinked their eyes as they became full sized once more and turned as one to look at the Headmaster. "How may we help you, Albus?" Helga asked.

"Yes Albus, and do explain why we are here instead of where we asked to be hung?" Rowena questioned.

Albus smiled and quickly explained the problem before asking, "Is there anything we can do for the Messrs. Weasley?"

Salazar and Godric looked at each other, and then the four Weasleys before responding. "There is a clause in the governing rules of this school that states that students who have had to leave or were forced to leave may be readmitted into the school as long as their Head of Family agrees. As long they have that permission and agree to resorted, there should be no problem with them coming back."

The twinkle in Albus's eyes died just a little as he turned to the Weasley boys. "With the death of your father, I do not know who your current Head of Family is, as I don't see any of you wearing the Family Ring," he said in a questioning voice.

Bill grinned slightly before responding. "No, none of us wanted it, so we made sure it went to someone who would not be… persuaded… to use it against us. I believe that you would be interested to know our new Family Head goes by the name Harry Potter," his grin reflected on each of his brothers.

The Founders looked startled for a moment before Salazar started laughing. Even the Headmaster couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Harry Potter is your Head of Family?"

"Yes Sir. We signed over all of our rights yesterday while in Gringotts," Bill answered.

"Well then, I do believe that we need to go find our young Mr. Potter."

Albus ushered the group down towards the dungeons, his eyes twinkling brightly when they finally arrived outside the Potions Master's doors. As he went to knock, a blast of magic pushed them away. The Weasleys exchanged astonished looks, and as one came all to the same conclusion.

"HARRY!?"

A/N #2: Aura Colors and their Meanings

**E**_ARTH AURA COLORS: Soil, wood, mineral, plant. These colors display a love of the Earth, of being grounded and is seen in those who live and work on the outdoors...construction, farming, etc. These colors are important and are a good sign. _

_Yellow-Green: Creative with heart, communicative_

_Bright emerald green: A healer, also a love-centered person_

_Orange Red: Confidence, creative power_

_Clear red: Powerful, energetic, competitive, sexual, passionate_

_Deep Red: Grounded, realistic, active, strong will-power, survival-oriented _


	8. Just a note

Hey All...

I have received a few reviews asking me if I plan to contiue this story...

The answer is yes. This and all the others are being updated, it's just taking me a little longer then I expected, as I just started a new job.

Please have a little more patience with me. Your reviews have kept me going through the last little while and I can't tell you how much they mean to me.

Luvs ya all.

Vbollman


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Thanks to Kei for her lovely Beta work... If not for her my work would be a true mess...

Chapter Eight

Bill and Charlie were quick to pick themselves off the ground where they landed from the blast of power, and immediately rushed through the door of the Potions Masters chambers. A quick glance around the room had Charlie going to help the five unconscious people laying in the living room, while Bill moved towards the area with the highest magical concentration.

Albus and the twins were only steps behind Bill and Charlie as they also moved to enter the chamber's main room. The twins almost stopped in surprise at the destruction, but moved forward, following their older brothers in order to help Charlie bring the others back to the land of the living. Albus, for his part, only stopped long enough to fix the door and send a message to Madam Pomfrey asking for her assistance before joining Charlie and the twins in making sure the others were alright.

Bill traced the magical blast back to its starting point, knowing without a doubt that Harry would be at the end of the trail. Looking beyond the shattered door at the apex of the blast, he saw a mop of black hair attached to a slight body collapsed on the ground. After making his way carefully through the debris caused by the blast, Bill knelt down beside Harry. "Harry?" he called softly.

Red rimmed green eyes raised slowly to meet his own, and Bill could see the haunted pain clearly in them. His heart went out to his youngest brother as he gently gathered the shaking teen into his arms. "Oh Lovely, let it all out," he murmured softly into silky black hair.

Harry didn't argue as, for the second time in as many days, he curled up in the embrace of this Weasley and let all of his grief pour out.

Bill was unsure of how long he sat amongst the wreckage holding his adopted brother and new family head. He almost forgot that here were others nearby, and it wasn't until Charlie cleared his throat gently from the doorway, startling the both of them, that Harry started to pull away.

Scrubbing his hands across his tear-stained face, Harry looked around the room, horror reflected in his green gaze. Starting to move with the intention of standing in order to peer around Charlie's form in the doorway, he asked softly, "I did that?" Harry really didn't need the silent confirmation from both Weasleys that he was the cause. As he silently took in the damage once more, his eyes slowly rose to meet Charlie's. "The others?" he asked in fear.

"Headaches, but that's all they're admitting to. Madam Pomfrey said they would be fine," Charlie quickly assured him.

Harry breathed deeply in relief before attempting to complete the action of standing, only to fall back once more into Bills arms when his legs wouldn't support him. A yelp of surprise was startled out of him when Bill carefully scooped him off the floor and seated himself down on the only chair still intact, with Harry still cradled in his arms.

"Not happening, Lovely. You expended an awful amount of energy in that blast. I can guarantee you won't be moving on your own for awhile yet," Bill stated calmly, not at all concerned about having the teen in his arms, despite the very faint blush that crossed Harry's cheeks.

"But the mess…" Harry trailed off.

"Won't take me more then a few minutes to clean up," Charlie stated cheerfully, already busy sweeping his wand across the room to set it to rights.

Giving up, Harry allowed himself to relax back into Bill's embrace and watched as Charlie cleaned up the mess. As soon as Charlie was done with the room itself, he replaced the door, closed it and then layered as many locking and silencing charms that he could recall on it, before coming over and sitting on the floor at Bill's feet.

"There now, we can talk and no one can interrupt us," Charlie said with a smile that made Harry think of the twin brothers. Turning serious he continued, "What happened Harry?"

The Weasleys sat quietly while they waited for Harry to gather himself enough to answer. Finally Harry took a deep breath and proceeded to explain everything to them: meeting the twins, finding out about Snape, Diagon Alley, and finally the midnight conversation. "Gali thinks that it's the effects of the trust bond, Severus and I getting along so well, and from their point of view I can see that. But…" he trailed off again.

"But you felt something for him before then," Bill said in a knowing way.

"Yah. Somehow, I knew where he was, and if he was getting closer. It starts out as a tingle down my spine and the feeling intensifies as he gets closer," Harry explained.

"What happened after you talked Harry?" Charlie prodded.

Harry hesitated slightly before answering. "My scar started to tingle, and I assumed that someone told Voldemort that we had been wandering around Diagon together when I should have been on the train. I fully expected a Vision, and if that didn't happen, a nightmare. I… I really didn't want to be alone, and he agreed to stay with me for the night." Harry once more trailed, feeling lost and confused. "I didn't react well to finding out everything at Gringotts and it just became too much for me." Looking between the two Weasleys, tears once more gathering in his eyes, he said softly, "he held me as I cried, and I ended up falling asleep in his arms," he admitted

"I'm going to take a guess and say it was the best night's sleep you've had in a long time," Bill stated just as quietly.

Harry just nodded his head. "Today, I got into it with McGonagall. She said something about being removed from the tower for my own safety. I told her exactly what was being said about me and informed her I refused to stay in a place full of cowards who wouldn't stand with one of their own when things became rough. Dumbledore agreed to let me be re-sorted, and the Hat said that as the Heir to all four Founders, I could go to any House. I asked if there was a way I could use that to stay out of all the Houses. I was informed that the only way that would be possible was in the Founders agreed and then was told where to find their portraits. It meant a trip down to the Chamber of Secrets once again. While down there, I was tested and approved as the Heir, the results pushed past me and into anyone that was in any way connected to me as well. The twins are connected with a mental bond, and Severus was holding me at the time. What I didn't know was that Draco has a bond with Morgan, and he was trying to keep them both sane by placing himself mentally between me and the twins. When the power coursed through me, it created another mental bond between Draco and myself," he said, giving a highly abridged version of things to make the story go faster.

"What kind of bond?" Charlie asked

"We don't know exactly. I know that we can mind speak, but not much else yet," Harry told them before falling silent.

Bill and Charlie exchanged a look. It was clear to both of them that this was when things started going wrong. "What happened, Harry?" Bill asked, repeating Charlie's question from earlier.

"After we returned here, and things had started to calm down, I checked to ensure that that blast of power had not affected my mental shields, and to see what was new when it came to my magic. I found a few more things then I expected; new bonds that should not have been there," Harry said in a dull voice.

Bill tightened his hold on Harry slightly in worry before loosening it once again. "Do you know who they go to?"

Harry nodded his head slightly. "Morgan and Gali, both Malfoys, and Severus," he said softly. "But I don't know what they mean." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I offered to break the bond with Draco. I was trying to protect him, and his was the only one that I could break." In a softer voice laced with a touch of panic he added, "He refused."

The three men sat silently for a few minutes before Bill shifted Harry in his lap. "Will you allow me to See? I can help you figure out the meanings behind the bonds," he asked. A quick glance at Charlie told him that he also figured out what made Harry lose control.

Dropping his head forward to make sure no eye contact could be made, Harry contemplated that idea. It was true that he needed help to figure out what was going on, as well as to sort out his own very confused feelings. He knew that one of the Founders would be able to help him with the meanings behind the bonds as well, but wouldn't understand his feelings and frustrations with them; Bill and Charlie would. "I'm so confused," he whispered in order to keep back the tears he felt forming in his eyes.

"Let us help," Charlie said just as softly.

Harry finally nodded his head in agreement, and held his hand out to Charlie even as he brought his head up to make eye contact with Bill. Moments later he was leading Bill deeper into his mind and to the area where all his bonds, broken or otherwise, lay.

Bill looked around the "room" that he was brought to in amazement before starting to study each of the bonds in turn. There was no need to tell him to avoid the dark corner of the room; indeed it really didn't take much to figure out that the huge heavy ironwood door that was banded shut with thick steel shadowed there was the connection with He Who Shall Not Be Named. Avoiding that like the plague, he moved towards the familiar bonds with his family, the vibrant color all in different shades of green. Even the broken bonds still claimed some of their lost color. With a sad smile he gently ran his hand over the broken bonds, one each for Ron, Ginny and their parents with an extra one thrown in for Hermione. To his surprise, there was even a small one for Percy which, if given half a chance, would have bloomed between the two of them. He was startled from his soothing of the raw spots, by a hum of pleasure from behind him. "You still feel them?" he asked, amazed.

"Yeah, it gets better little by little, but I can still feel them, just like I can still feel the one from Sirius."

Nodding his head in understanding, Bill continued to exam the rest of the bonds. The colors told him what the relationship to each was, but he still needed to hear it from Harry. "You've told us a little about how you feel about Severus, and I'll try not to pry into that to much further, but can you explain to me what you think or feel about for the others?"

Harry nodded his head slightly before slipping into thought. "I explained to you that Severus is Morgan and Galahad's father, right?" Seeing Bill nod, he continued. "I'm a little mixed up on them, considering that I just met them yesterday morning, but it was almost like the first time I met Ron: instant friendship. I knew I could trust them and the bond between us confirmed that. Now, however, I increasingly find myself wanting to check on them all the time, like I should protect them and make sure that nothing will ever happen to them." Looking over at Bill he asked, "I just met them, Bill, how is that possible?"

Sighing softly Bill shook his head. "I'll explain in a few minutes. Now, what about Draco?"

Here Harry snorted. "I still want to slap the prat, if for no other reason then to wipe that smug look of his face! Now… Now I don't know. Having this bond with him is extremely strange as well as extremely dangerous for him. I feel like I can, with some time, start to consider him one of my closest friends, like with what happened with Hermione. I didn't care for her either when we first met. At the same time, I feel like I'm betraying both Hermione and Ron." Sad green eyes pierced straight through Bill's heart when they met his own. "Am I betraying them, Bill? Is all I'm doing is finding something to replace what they mean to me?"

Bill quickly gathered Harry back into his arms. "Absolutely not. And just think about what those two plus Ginny would say if they ever heard you say something like that. It is my belief that they would be happy to see that you are willing to let someone back into your life, even if it's the biggest prat who ever lived." Harry leaned silently in Bill's arms for a few long minutes before, much to Bill's relief, nodding his head in understanding, even if his body didn't relax all that much. He knew it would take some work in order to make Harry believe what he just said. "Lucius Malfoy?" he questioned in order to keep Harry's thoughts from lingering in darker emotions.

"When we were down in the Chamber, he took a spot to guard my back. I knew his wand was out but instead of being nervous about having it practically pointed at me, if felt oddly comforting almost like..."

"Almost like you knew he would do everything in his power to keep you safe," Bill finished.

"Exactly!" Harry exclaimed. "And then after, while we were talking to the portraits, I was still not steady on my feet after that blast of power. I tried to stay on my own feet, but he held out his arm, and I knew he wouldn't let me fall."

"Isn't that how Severus makes you feel?"

"Yes and no," Harry replied. "Severus makes me feel so much more. There's warmth and safety, the sense of coming home…" he trailed off.

"Knowing without a doubt that he'll keep you safe while giving you the strength and support you need to face everything on your own," Bill added. "Do you see the difference between the two?"

Nodding his head Harry summed it all up. "Severus would stand beside me, but Lucius would stand in front while shielding me from everything," Harry replied. "But how could that happen in only a few hours? When I first saw them today I wanted nothing to do with them. Now I don't want anything to happen to them."

Bill smiled faintly, nodding his head in understanding. "Come along Harry, let's go back to Charlie and I'll explain the bonds."

It only took seconds for them to rejoin Charlie in the physical world, and then with a look at Charlie that was laced with both sadness and amusement, Bill started to explain. "From the looks of things, it seems you have some kind of creature blood. I'm not sure what creature, and more than likely won't know until you come into your inheritance on your next birthday. That blast of power from the Founders opened up more of your gifts, and will continue to open them a little bit more as time goes by. In fact I'll hazard a guess that they will continue to grow as you master what you already have, and then will open up fully on your seventeenth." He stopped to give Harry a few moments to absorb that information. "Now, as for the bonds, I'll start with the ones you have with us, which will also in a way explain Mr. Malfoy and, to a lesser degree, Draco. Your bond to us is the same as to any sibling: a vibrant bright green. It's the same color no matter if they are a blood sibling or an adopted sibling. The one from child to parent is also green, but a darker shade. In fact, you can almost call it a forest green," Bill said, and waited for Harry to make the connection himself.

"Wait… That would mean that Lucius Malfoy could be considered my father!" Harry exclaimed in shock.

"Yes. I won't be surprised if Draco's bond goes from the purple it is now to a light blue, and then darkens into green."

"HOW!?"

"They only thing I can think of is that trust bond that you started with Morgan and Galahad yesterday. These are probably side effects that they were not aware would happen."

"The twins consider the Malfoys family, though I'm not sure how."

"That would make it possible for you to bond with the Malfoys through the twins."

"But then why is my bond with the twins blue and not green?"

"Blue?" Charlie asked sharply.

"Yes, it's a nice sharp blue," Bill answered Charlie, and then went back to explaining to Harry. "You said that you were able to feel Severus even before the bond was preformed. Do you remember for how long?"

"Since I started here at Hogwarts. I figured after I found out about the Dark Mark, that it was because we are both connected to Riddle and through him each other."

"It's possible, I suppose. With the two of you being in close contact over the years, it would be able to allow you to sense each other instead of every other Death Eaters, but I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated then that." Taking a deep breath he continued. "Severus Snape is your Mate, both the Creature's Mate and your Soul's Mate. Your bond with the twins allowed you both to finally see each other, instead of just being able to see the outside, you are now able to see the inside as well."

"I see, then my bond with the twins would mean…?" he asked.

"While a sibling bond and a bond from a child to a parent is green, the bond from a parent to a child is blue: a nice, sharp blue."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N This chapter at this time is unbeta'd... I'm sorry.

Disclaimer... Not mine sighs

_**Chapter Nine.**_

Bill and Charlie rejoined those in the living room, both slightly drained from their talk with Harry. Gratfully accepting the offered tea, Bill looked around at the others, and smiled weakly when he met Severus' eyes. "He's asleep." He told them all, and watched as the tension immediately decreased.

"Did he tell you what caused him to explode?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy he did. And knowing him as well as I do, I'm not surprised in the least."

"Explain!" Severus demanded sharply, the only one in the room who did not totally relax when informed that Harry was asleep.

"Easy Severus, I'll explain." Bill said raising his hands in submission. "It seems that when Ma.. Draco decided to keep the bond between him and Harry, he triggered a panic attack that Harry was already fighting to keep under control. In his own way, Harry was hoping that Draco would agree to break the bond in order to keep himself from becoming an even larger target then he already was. It's really no secret that anyone close to Harry will be taken out in order to break his support system, effectively rendering him harmless, or at least to the point that one tiny shove would break him beyond repair."

"It is as I expected then." Albus sighed. "I'm truly surprised that he allowed Galahad and Morgan to get as close as they did in such a very short amount of time."

"That we can explain as well." Charlie said into the silence.

"Well." Morgan demanded.

"Headmaster did you know that Harry has some creature blood in him?" Charlie asked.

"No I did not."

Sighing Charlie and Bill shared a long look, trying to decide exactly what to tell everyone, without breaking trust with their younger brother. Before either of them could say anything, Gali, Morgan and Draco all went stiff for a moment before relaxing. "Potter said to tell you to tell us everything." Draco told them all.

"And how do we know that you're just not saying that to get what you want to know?" The Weasley twins said as one glaring at the younger blond.

"Mischief Managed." the Annerson twins replied with a glare of their own.

Both sets of twins continued to glare at each other for a long moment, before Fred turned to George. "Well Forge?"

"Oh indeed Gred, having anther set of twins in the family is going to be just grand."

"I agree totally. We'll just have to figure out how to use this to our advantage later."

"Oh yes."

Turning to look at their older brothers, and ignoring the looks they were getting from the others they nodded their heads. "It's true, go ahead and explain."

Groaning in unison, Charlie and Bill shared a pained look with everyone before settling down to expain everything that they had gathered to the rest of the room.

hp

Three hours and many questions later, Severus and Lucius finally managed to kick everyone out of the apartment and sat sipping at glasses of single malt scotch, each lost in their own thoughts.

The Weasly twins and Draco had been sent to show Morgan and Galahad around the castle, Albus had gone back to his office, his twinkle going full blast due to what he had just heard, and Charlie and Bill had gone back to their own homes.

Sighing deeply Lucius looked over and caught a set of black eyes. "This is going to be a really interesting year."

"Indeed. More so then usual."

"Father figure to the Boy Who Lived." Lucius commented softly, "I'm really not sure if I'm up to that challenge." he admitted.

"How very un-Slytherin like Luc, admitting that outloud."

Lucius smirked, "Oh, like you can say you saw being his mate in your future." he snorted.

"I should have." Was the very quiet reply

Lucius knowing his friend as well as he did, just sat silently and sipped his drink, and let Severus proceed in his own time.

"I have always known where in the Castle he was, it made trying to keep him out of trouble easier." Severus started, as part of a longer explaination

"I don't even want to count how many times you complained about him getting into life or death situations. Every time you did, I could see just how the effected you." Lucius said softly. "I thought of first that it was pure hate. But looking back now, I can see something different." When no answer was forthcoming he added on last thing before leaving things alone. "There's a very fine line between love and hate."

A nod of his head was his only response.

hp

Harry woke slowly from his nap, and stretched like a cat, causing vertabri to pop all the way down his back. Curling up into the warmth of the covers, he allowed the comforting sound of chatter in his mind loll him back to a light doze. A familier drawl in one of the voices had Harry shooting up in bed, :Malfoy!:

:Yes? Did you need something Scarhead?: The voice came again, this time laced with amusement.

:Ah hell, I thought I had dreamed it all!: Harry whined.

:Sorry Kitten, but it's all true.: Morgan giggled.

Grumbling to himself, Harry once again made himself comfortable within his blankets. :What are you three up to at the moment?:

Draco snorted softly and cast a look at the two sets of twins that he was following. :I'm being shown more of Hogwarts then I had ever hoped to know.:

:Ah, a tour of Hogwarts, Weasley style.: Harry snickered back.

:Indeed. Maybe you can join us?: Questioned Gali.

:No, I think I'll stay here. I have things that I need to discuss with the elders for this school year.: Was the quiet reply colored with a yawn.

Harry felt a shield go up and two of the voices became muted. :Are you alright Harry?: Draco asked softly.

:I think so.: Harry replied after a moment. :I'm sorry I freaked out like that. It's just that – I just can't – I just can't lose anyone else Draco.: He tried to explain.

:I know, and I understand. If I was you I more then likely would have done the same thing.:

Draco was content to follow along behind the others, knowing that nothing would happen with the Weasley twins there to retaliate, as he waited for Harry to respond, either by acknowledging what he had just said or by changing the subject. He suspected it would be the latter of the two. His suspicious were confirmed a few minutes later.

:Are all the Weasleys with you?:

:The twins are more then enough thank you very much.: Draco responded, his mental tone snotty.

:Yeah yeah yeah. Please be kind enough to explain _why _the Twins are still here.:

:Well from what I could understand, all four of them came here to ask the Headmaster if the Twins could come back to finish there schooling. The Headmaster asked the Founders what they thought, and the four of them said if they had permission from their Head of Family they could re-enroll and be sorted once again.: Draco explained. :Now I guess they just have to contact whoever is the new Head of the Weasley Family.: he finished.

By the time Draco had finished explaining, Harry was howling with laughter.

hp

Pulling himself together, Harry allowed himself another stretch before uncurling from the blankets and headed for the shower, his skin crawling from the dirt he could still feel from the summer past.

Half an hour later, feeling somewhat better, he made his way nervously into the living room, stopping just outside the room when he saw both men sitting there quietly. Glancing around the room, and not seeing any damage from earler, he let out a shaky breath and slowly stepped into the room, the movement drawing the attention of both its occupants.

Finishing the last of his drink, Lucius stood and moved towards the door. "I think this conversation is best left to two of you. I'm sure I'll find something that needs my attention within my new office." He stated softly.

Harry, unsure on how the news that Bill and Charlie gave had been taken, looked down at the floor for a second before reaching out and stopping the man from leaving. "Mr. Malfoy – Lucius..." he trailed off, not knowing how exactly to voice what he was feeling.

Glancing down into green eyes filled with uncertainty and fear, Lucius felt his heart swell for the young man before. "I know Harry." He whispered, "no more needs to be said. Fate has a way with playing with our lives, but in the end it will all work out for the best." Without giving Harry a chance to reply, Lucius left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Harry stood watching the door for a few minutes before slowly turning to the man who sat in front of the fireplace, the play of flames casting flickering shadows on his face, and hiding his eyes from view. But Harry could tell the that those dark eyes would be glittering in their intensity as the watched him. "S..Severus?"

"Come here Harry." Severus' voice was just above a whisper, and he watched as the teen moved towards him, and could see the tremors going through the young man that he was just figuring out he had always loved. When Harry stopped just within arms reach, he moved forward slightly and drew him onto his lap and wrapped both arms firmly around him, not letting go when Harry stiffened in his embrace.

Slowly Harry relaxed and allowed himself to be cradled against the strong body holding him. Fingers nimble from years of working with delicate potions and their ingredients, started to run through his hair, and Harry melted fully, a contented noise voiced deep from the back of his throat.

Severus chuckled slightly at the sound that could almost be classified as a purr. "I think my children were correct in calling you kitten." he stated softly, never stopping in his movements.

Allowing the silence to go on for long moments, Severus finally started talking once again, his voice just loud enough to be heard. "Whatever this is between us, I never would have expected it to happen. Especially with the past five years between us, and the bad blood between myself and your family before."

Harry opened his mouth to defend both of them, only to be stopped by a gentle finger against his lips. "Shh, let me finish. I'm not one for speaking my feelings or thoughts out loud, and I fully expect this to be the last time I ever speak of this again. Just let me finish. Please." Harry found himself nodding in agreement. After all it was the only thing he could really do.

"I am not a nice man. I stepped into the Dark Lords service eager to please Him, thinking a finally found a spot that I belonged. It took only weeks for me to figure out my mistake, and even longer to find away out of it. Over the years, I have killed many, either directly or with the use of the potions that I created for His pleasure. My saving grace came the day that you stepped into this school, and my task became clear, when I was set as your protector. I never expected anything more to come of this, and fully expected to die to save your life. My redemption would have come in the form of saving you."

Stopping for a moment to refill his glass, Severus held it in front of Harry silently asking if he wanted a glass himself. His surprise was almost complete despite everything else when instead Harry reached out and took a small sip from his glass and handed it back. Repeating the same motion for himself, he set the glass to the side and continued. "My world turned upside down yesterday morning when I saw you with the twins, and my every belief was torn away as I learned the truth about you. Learning today that I was your mate, was perhaps not as surprising to me as it was to the others, almost like I have always known that you were more important to me then I would ever allow myself to admit. Now I can only promise that I will do everything in my power to prove myself worthy to stand at your side."

Harry sat silently for a few more mintues before pulling away gently from Severus' warmth. "My life until I found myself here at Hogwarts was not pleasent, and nothing can ever change that fact. When I came here, I thought my life would get better, but then I ran into the Boy Who Lived nonsence and I realized that I had only exchanged one prison to another. My only constant during all this time has been you. No matter what anyone else said or did, no matter if I was being made out to be the villian or the hero, you were always the same." Locking his eyes with the dark ones before him, he finished all he was going to say on this subject, before putting it behind them both. "No matter what else happens Severus Snape, promise me one thing. Never change. I like you just the way you are, complete with your evil, snarky attitude. Never change."

Severus let out the breath he had been holding and smiled slightly. "You have my promise Harry Potter, now until forever."

hp

After another good nights sleep, this time with the help of a few sips of Dreamless Sleep, Harry found himself walking with Draco Malfoy of all people, to the Great Hall for breakfast. Neither of them talked much, and Harry could already hear the new set of rumors whispered as he passed his follow students.

Pausing just inside the door, Harry glanced around trying to figure out where to sit, knowing that he would not be welcomed at the Gryffindor table, even with twins sitting alone at one end of it. Running his eyes over the Ravenclaw table, he was surprised to see Luna looking back at him with a vague smile on her face, that fooled everyone but him. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he made his way towards her, when she waved him over, and almost collapesed in shock when she threw her arms around his neck in a giant hug. A glance at the head table reassured him that everything was alright, and Harry happily took his place beside her and dug into the food set out in front of him, occasionally adding to one of the conversations going on around him.

Finished with his plate, Harry enjoyed the way the Ravens didn't block him out, or try to blame him for what happened over the summer, and he could tell that those who didn't know what to think had decided to suspend judgement until all the facts where in. So deep into the converstation with a 7th year debating Dark vs. Light magic, he wasn't aware of the growing silence until his debate partners eyes grew wide as he stopped in mid sentence. Tipping his head back to see who was behind him, even though he knew only one person could cause this reaction, Harry looked up into the glittering eyes of Professor Snape. "Good morning Professor." he greeted, forcefully holding down the smile that wanted to spread across his face.

"Mr. Potter, if you are finished with your meal, the Headmaster would like you to join him in his office." Snape stated coldly, though Harry could see the warmth in his eyes.

"Of course Sir. I'll be up in a minute." Turning back on the Potion's Master, knowing it would cause the older man to seemingly grow angry, Harry made one last point to the 7th year. "Light doesn't mean good, and Dark doesn't mean evil. After all 'Avada Kedavra' in the hands of a healer can give a merciful ending to one suffering saving them from an even more painfilled years, just like 'Wingardium Leviosa' can kill if you direct a person high enough into the air." he stated calmly, hopeing it would make those around them to rethink some of their ways.

"Now Potter!" he heard growled behind him.

"Yes Sir." Harry stated, grabbing a final peice of bacon, and hurrying after his Professor, letting his smile out when no one else could see.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Once again many thanks to Periculum for her beta work. Without her I'm sure everyone would be out for my head.

Chapter Ten

Harry trailed after Severus, doing his best not to watch the way the man walked, and thinking (where someone just might be listening!) that it was a shame that the Potions Master preferred to wear such billowing robes. A quiet snicker deep in his mind let him know that the thought was not as hidden as he had thought. :Hush.: He snarled softly, not really sure who it was that had decided to eavesdrop.

"Mr. Potter, I have better things to be doing today than babysitting you. If you do not start paying attention to your surroundings and keep up, I'm going to have you in detention with Mr. Filch for the next week," a dark voice purred, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.

"Yes Sir, sorry Sir." Harry was quick to answer, and hurried his pace slightly, making sure not to lose himself in thought again; after all, if he was going to get detention it would be with Snape himself, otherwise it just wasn't worth the effort.

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach the gargoyle, which moved aside, even without the password, much to Harry's surprise. By the slight widening of Severus' eyes, it appeared this was as unusual to him as it was to Harry.

As soon as the entrance closed behind them, Harry moved slightly closer and leaned his head in the center of Severus' back, causing the older man to turn around and wrap his arms around the teen, for once allowing the revolving stairs to carry them up instead of making the trip faster by walking. "How did you sleep last night, Harry?"

"Once I opened the portrait between our rooms slightly, much better than I have been," Harry mumbled in return, wrapping both arms around Severus' middle, knowing that the embrace would end sooner than he would wish.

"Hmm, I noticed this morning when I woke up that it was open. I had thought for a moment that you had tried to get my attention, so I peeked in on you."

Flushing slightly, Harry looked up into dark eyes. "It sounds stupid, but I just wanted to be able to hear you," he said, before stepping back as the near the top of the staircase.

"Not stupid, Harry. Everyone needs reassurance at some time. If having it open helps you then so be it, we'll leave it open" Severus replied, brushing one knuckle across Harry's cheek.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, leaning into the caress briefly, before pulling himself together. "Do you know why the headmaster wanted to see me?"

"No, I don't. But I think it has something to do with the reason the Weasley twins are still here."

"Draco said something about them coming back to school last night, but needing the permission from their Head of Family," Harry informed him.

"And as you are their Head…" Severus trailed off. "Oh Great Merlin, you're going to give them the okay, aren't you?!"

His only answer before the office door opened was a bright smile.

~OoO~

It never failed to surprise Harry that no matter how many people were in this office, it never seemed to get crowded. At the moment it contained Fred, George, Charlie and Bill Weasley, all four Heads of House, Lucius Malfoy (representing the Board of Directors), the Headmaster and Harry, as well as the portraits of the Four Founders settled for the moment on easels on either side of the Headmaster's desk, and of course Fawkes on his perch directly behind the Headmaster.

Bowing respectively to each of the Founders, Harry turned his attention to the Headmaster. "Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning, Harry. How are you this fine day?"

"Very well, Sir. How may I help you this morning?" Harry asked. His smile turned mischievous, letting Albus know that he had a basic idea of what he wanted.

Blue eyes twinkled brightly as he gestured to a chair situated with the twins on one side of it, and Bill and Charlie on the other. "It has come to our attention that we have a couple of young men that would like to re-enroll in our fine school. After discussing it with the Founders, I have found out that they may re-join us if their Head of Family agrees, and they agree to a re-sorting. Fred and George have agreed to a re-sorting; now we just have need of the agreement of their Head of Family. You wouldn't by chance know who that is, now would you, Harry?"

McGonagall huffed from her seat and sent a mild glare at the Headmaster. "I still don't see why you needed to drag Mr. Potter all the way up here. It's plain to see that he would have no more idea who the new Head is than I do," she said stiffly.

The remaining Weasleys opened their mouths in outrage, along with everyone else, but quickly subsided when Harry held up a hand. Shifting his position in the chair slightly, Harry looked at his ex-head of house with cool detachment and waited for everyone to settle down enough that he could be heard.

"I understand, Madam, that you were close to both Molly and Arthur, and that you are grieving their loss along with their children. I, too, am suffering from their loss, as is anyone who knew what a truly exceptional couple they were." He spoke with a quiet dignity that surprised everyone, including himself. "While you lost close friends that day, I lost my family." Closing his eyes to hide his pain, Harry gave himself a few moments to bring himself back under control. "Bill and Charlie both gave up their rights by blood to accept the Lordship of the Weasley family, and instead gave them to someone they both knew would not use it against them. Much to my dismay, I was the one they selected to lead their family," he said softly, after he had opened his eyes once again. "It was with a great deal of honor that I accepted, along with a feeling of being completely unworthy of that honor."

"Since I have entered this school this year, you have made it abundantly clear that you, along with the rest of your House, blame me for what happened, and I'm not sure if I can completely disagree with that fact. After all, they would have all been safer if they had never taken me in. But I will NOT allow you to keep belittling me or anyone else. If you cannot detach your feelings and remain neutral in dealing with me as a student, no matter what, I suggest, Madam, that you step down from your position as Deputy Headmistress and consider retiring from your position as Head of Gryffindor as well." Harry's eyes had turned hard by the time he was finished, and held McGonagall's eyes until she was shamed enough to turn away.

"As Head of the Weasley family, I give my permission for Fred and George to re-enroll here at Hogwarts," he said gravely when he turned back to the Headmaster. Reading the shock that was in Albus' eyes, along with the shock that fairly radiated from everyone else, Harry knew he had to lighten the mood. "If, of course, Sir, you think that your school will survive having the Weasley twins once again as students," he added, a slight smirk decorating his face.

Shaking the shock from his system quickly, the Headmaster returned Harry's smirk with a twinkle of his own. "Oh, I think we can survive another year with the twins in attendance. Although I think we might just have to let the Sorting Hat also judge what year they should be attending."

Donning a look of horror, Harry looked at the Sorting Hat, and could have sworn that the damn thing had a smirk on its 'face'. "Please not sixth year, please I beg of you!" he pleaded.

"This reminds me of the first time you put me on your head. 'Not Slytherin, please anywhere but Slytherin.'" The hat mocked him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Harry stated, turning his head in a mock huff, much to the amusement of those within the room.

"Are you saying, young man, that you convinced that Hat not to put you where it wanted you to go?" Professor Sprout asked.

"It wasn't that hard," Harry murmured, looking down in embarrassment.

"Indeed it was not. He could have gone anywhere at that point," the hat reassured them all. "Now enough with young Potter. Let's continue on with sorting these fine young men," the hat announced, moving things along.

After that it only took a few minutes for Fred and George to be re-sorted into Gryffindor for their seventh year of school, much to Harry's relief. After the twins received copies of their school list, Harry asked for and received permission to walk the Weasleys down to the entrance hall, promising to return to the Headmaster's office immediately after.

With a quick glance at the twins, they said their farewells to Bill and Charlie, and Harry led the way down to his rooms. Once there, he locked and warded the door before turning to the twins with a somewhat worried look.

"Do you need any help getting your supplies?" He asked.

"Nope…"

"Not a thing..."

"Business has been good..."

"And the account you set up…"

"Allowed us to hire full time staff…"

"The only thing we need to do…"

"Is getting permission to leave…"

"So we can do the trickier brewing…"

Fred and George answered him, both wearing matching grins.

Used to the double speak, Harry just nodded his head in relief and headed for his trunk. "Alright then, I won't bother with helping you buy your supplies."

"Harry, don't feel like you need to provide for us financially," George said seriously. "We do really well with the joke shop."

"Oh, I'm not worried about providing you with money for that now. If you say the shop is doing well, then it's doing well," Harry said, turning back to them with a money pouch in hand.

"Then what is that for?" Fred asked, gesturing to the pouch.

"Well you see, since I'm not an actual member of the houses, and therefore more than likely not going to be playing Quidditch unless the professors actually work out a system between them, I feel no real harm in helping you kick Slytherins butt when you do start playing once again," Harry said with an evil smile, holding out the pouch. "I would appreciate it if you bought me a new broom as well," he added as an afterthought, not wanting his first gift from his godfather to be wrecked.

The twins looked at each other, before turning to Harry with matching evil grins. "There seems…"

"To be…"

"A lot more money…"

"Than just for three brooms."

"Oh well, I guess there might be enough for new brooms for the rest of team…" Harry trailed off.

"Donated by us in memory of our siblings." Fred nodded in agreement.

"And if there is extra after that, well it would be blamed on me if you managed to smuggle in a few extra…pranks," Harry added slyly.

"Of course not," Gred and Forge said together, practically rubbing their hands together in glee.

"Just in Merlin's name, don't get caught."

"What do you think we are Harry, amateurs?" They said in dismay.

"Of course not. Just making sure that you understand that I had nothing to do with this." As an afterthought Harry added, "And please keep your marks up. I really don't want the professors looking to me for your bad grades."

~~OoO~~

Harry returned to the Headmaster's office, to find the Headmaster was the only one remaining. Retaking his seat and the cup of offered tea, Harry turned his attention to the portraits. "So which one of you do I have to thank for that lovely speech?"

Helga looked at Harry with a smile on her face. "Well, you certainly behaved rather like Salazar."

"But you sounded a lot like our dear Rowena," Godric added.

"Well thank you both, then. I'm not sure how I would have handled that without making the situation worse."

{You did well, youngling. With practice you can become a great leader} Salazar hissed at him.

{I don't want to be a leader. I just want to be Harry} he grumbled back, much to Salazar's amusement.

Looking at the Headmaster, Harry sighed. "How are you planning on dealing with me not being in an actual House?" he asked.

Albus looked at the young man, the twinkle dimming slightly in his eyes. "As you may have guessed, you won't be able to play Quidditch, but if you would like you may be able to help train any of the Seekers who ask for your help." Waiting for Harry's nod, he added, "If you would like, you may also be able to help referee a few of the matches as well."

Smiling slightly, Harry nodded, "I would like that. It would allow me to be able to still be part of the whole thing here."

"As I thought. As for your classes, it would seem we have to make up a new House patch for your robes. It has been agreed that you will take classes with all houses, and any points you receive will be split evenly between all four houses. The same will also be said for any points you lose. I have already informed you that I will be reviewing your potions work. Otherwise it will be business as normal."

Harry smiled and took another sip of his tea. "I like normal," he stated.

The Headmaster smiled back at him. "Incidentally, Harry, how was your private meeting with the Weasley Twins?" he asked, eyes twinkling brightly.

Harry's eyes sparkled as an evil smile once again stretched across his face. "Productive, Headmaster. Very productive," he nearly purred.

Albus, much to Harry's amusement, threw his head back and laughed. Moments later Harry joined him.


	12. Chapter 12

It's late. I know that and I apologize. No excuse I can give will do justice to this little fact, especially since I've had the beta'd version on my computer for awhile now.

I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP!

I need ideas for the pranks the twins can pull on the rest of the school, most especially Gryffindor. Any ideas will be welcome.

Once again many thanks to Periculum for her beta work. Without her I'm sure everyone would be out for my head.

And finally….

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter Eleven (Sunday September 3rd)

Harry sat silently sipping his tea for a few minutes after the laughter died down, content in the feeling of calm that the moment shared between the two. It really didn't take long before Harry's mind started to puzzle through the last few days, checking and re-checking the facts as they presented themselves. "Lady Ravenclaw?" he finally started to ask.

"Oh please, young Raven, call me Rowena, or Ro as the others do," she interrupted. "There is no need to stand on such formality." Godric and Helga nodded in agreement, both murmuring their permission for him to use their first names, before glancing over at Salazar to see if he would also add his permission.

Salazar Slytherin gave the three of them glares that would put Severus to shame, before turning the look on Harry. "I believe that a degree of formality is always needed when dealing with youths," he stated arrogantly.

It took a few seconds before Harry could stop staring at the portrait in shock, before an innocent look came across his face. "I've never had a grandfather before."

The other four occupants of the room roared in laughter at the sight of the great Salazar Slytherin stuttering in shock. After a few minutes, he finally managed to get himself under control, and then turned his glare up a notch. "You may call me Salazar."

Harry bowed slightly from his chair in the portrait's direction. "Thank you, but you're absolutely correct. A certain amount of formality is needed when dealing with my elders...Grandfather."

{You have to be one of the most annoying younglings I have ever had the misfortune to teach!} Salazar hissed menacingly.

{And as I've already informed you, it's an art that I have perfected over the years.} Harry answered back with a grin.

"Humph!" Salazar huffed, and turned his back on the rest of the room, but not before Harry saw the suspicious brightness in the man's eyes.

Sending a fond look in Salazar's direction, Harry turned back to the others, "Rowena, what knowledge did the four of you add in that power blast?" Harry asked, giving the Elder Slytherin time to recover.

"Now let me think, young one," she replied, tapping her finger against her chin. "There was general knowledge in working theory for almost everything, including law, politics, languages, and etiquette. As well as everything else we figured our Heir would need to know about the school. We all gave you a boost in our own specialties, that would be Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Transfiguration from myself, Herbology and Healing from Helga, Charms and Defense both magical and non from Godric and Potions, Mind Arts, and the Dark Arts from Salazar."

"Dark Arts!" Albus stated in dismay.

"Yes, the Dark Arts." Salazar growled from his frame, as he started pacing through all four of the frames. "There is nothing inherently evil about the Dark Arts, it's all about the intention behind the use of the spell. From what I have heard from the Bloody Baron, you all seem to think that to use the Dark Arts, one most lose their soul, but that isn't true. If your intentions are pure, then the magic even though the spell itself is dark, will be pure. Parseltongue, for example is a Dark Magic, but it can be used in conjunction with light magic to make it stronger. A simple '_lumos' _done in Parseltongue will create a light ten times brighter than one done in Latin," Salazar started, getting into his rant.

"If you'll pardon my intrusion into this conversation, Grandfather, but I happen to agree with you," Harry broke in before Salazar could really get going. Hearing a sound of dismay from the Headmaster, Harry focused his attention on him. "I was having the same argument this morning with Josh from Ravenclaw this morning at breakfast. Many of the spells we learn in our first year, when you put enough power behind them, will kill, Headmaster, but even you must admit that the uses of the three Unforgivables by someone who cares can be extremely helpful. The killing curse to end the life of someone suffering when other avenues of recourse have been exhausted, the Cruciatus can be used to see how bad nerve damage is, and to monitor the effects of treatment for the same thing. The Imperius can be used in a situation where some one is a serous danger to themselves and others, like a suicide attempt. I know there are inherent problems with using these spells because they leave a taint on the soul, but still, if there are no other ways around the problem they '_could'_ be used."

Before Albus could say anything to refute that statement, Rowena cut him off. "Young Harry is absolutely correct. What you consider Dark Arts, and what we consider Dark Arts are two different things Headmaster. Blood magic, for example is now considered Dark Arts, but when we were still alive, it was not. We signed contracts with our blood, adopted people into our families, even marriages were made with the use of blood to make the bond between the couples stronger. There is nothing evil in it."

Breaking in finally, Albus leveled a glare at them all. "The Dark Arts incorporate sacrifice in many of the casting in order to work! There is no way around that."

Godric looked at the headmaster as though he was insane. Pulling himself straight to argue the matter, he was silenced when Helga gently cleared her throat. "My dear Headmaster, I think you are distinctly confused. I will give you one little piece of information to meditate on and then this part of the conversation will be over. I happen to agree with Harry about the uses for the Unforgivables. From a Healer's stand point they could indeed be used as he suggested, if there were no other choices available. I also understand your point of view, about how many of the spells used within the Dark Arts do indeed require a sacrifice. But the problem as I see it at the moment, is more in the definition of a word. You seem to think that sacrifice means death, but I'm here to tell you it does not. The whole definition of the word when it comes to the Dark Arts includes not just the giving up of a life, but the giving of something personal. Think on that, Headmaster, and we will continue this discussion at a later date. Now this conversation is closed, Harry was asking about the powers he inherited, and I think he has a reason behind his questions that I personally would like to hear."

Albus sat back thoughtfully, before nodding his agreement, "Very well. I will agree to thinking about what you have said, and we will discuss it at a later date." Looking over at Harry, he smiled slightly. "Other than learning what was done to you, was there another reason behind your questions?"

"Yes, in a way there was, Headmaster. Firstly, I'm trying to figure out what exactly to expect over the next little while. Power boosts that I'm going to need to manage so I don't overpower my spells and hurt someone. Magical theory that I have to make into working theory, new gifts that I might expect that I'm going to need to master in order to keep myself and others safe. Is my temper that I'm just learning to control, going to be worse? How is this going to effect my interactions with the other students? My professors?" Harry started to question. "How much knowledge was passed down to me, and in how many areas? Am I going to be able to take classes that I don't have OWLS in, or do I need a tutor? And then there's the connection between myself, the twins and Draco..."

"Harry, my boy, take a deep breath and slow down. I see that you've been thinking about this quite a bit, and we can't answer anything until you give us a chance to." Albus broke in.

Harry flushed slightly before looking down. "I'm sorry, Sir, it's just that so much has happened over the past few days, that everything is just spinning around in my mind, and I'm not sure what exactly to do anymore. Especially when you add in the other students and how they are going to act around me this year, when over half of them are blaming me for what happened over the summer. I mean, if the Weasleys weren't safe for being best friends/family to me, what makes anyone safe when I'm around?"

"Now see here, young man, that kind of thinking is just going to cause problems," Godric stated firmly. "You can't allow yourself to think that way."

Harry's head snapped up, and defiance flashed briefly through his eyes. "I didn't say that I think that way, Godric, but the rest of the students will."

"Then ignore them," Godric said with a careless wave of his hand.

"That's easy enough for you to say, My Lord!" Harry growled, bolting to his feet and glaring at the portrait. "Ignore them! Sure, I'll ignore them, just like I ignored them when I first entered this school, and came face to face with the fame, the way people stared at me like I was a God walking amongst them. Ignore them like I did in my second year, when everyone thought I was the next Dark Lord when they found out I could talk to snakes, or when they thought I was a glory hound because of a stupid tournament that I was entered in against my will. Or how about I ignore them like I did when no one believed that the Dark Lord had returned, and they all thought I was mentally unstable at best and about to go into a murderous rage at the worst. How exactly you would like me to ignore them this time, My Lord Gryffindor, I would really like to know."

Harry was so intent on the Founder's portrait in front of him that he didn't notice the waves of magic rolling off him, nor hear the frantic calling of his bond-mates in his mind. He didn't feel the waves of calm that Severus attempted to send his way or the sound of the staircase to the Headmaster's office activating. It wasn't until his line of sight with the Founder was blocked by a black-clad chest and a set of strong arms wrapped around him that he realized what exactly was going on.

Breathing in the earthy scent that permeated from Severus' robes, he wrapped his arms around the older man, and allowed himself to lean fully against Severus. "I think the control I had over my temper is shot," he mumbled

"Indeed," Severus whispered into his hair.

~~OoO~~

After a calming draught fetched from Severus' office, the Headmaster attempted to explain what had set Harry off to Severus, Lucius, the twins and Draco, but kept being interrupted by the Founders adding in their own opinions. Finally, Harry let out a growl of frustration and sunk into his mind, determined to do this in the easiest and fastest way possible. Gently touching the connection he had with Lucius, he silently asked permission to strengthen it. Receiving a mental nod, he used the magic still running rampant through his body and made the connection hopefully strong enough that he could 'send' the entire conversation to Lucius and everyone else. He knew he had succeeded when the faces around him went blank, as they reviewed the relevant parts of his morning.

:Sorry Scarhead.: Draco said, being the first to recover. :just don't expect me to say that where anyone else can hear!:

:Wouldn't dream of it, Ferret. Thanks though.:

:You gonna be alright?: Gali asked.

:I'll let you know once the extra strength calming drought wears off.:

:Kitten?:

:It's fine, Morgan.:

"Harry, my boy, what did you just do?" the Headmaster asked.

"He showed us exactly what happened, Headmaster," Lucius stated.

Rowena looked surprised at this. "How is this possible?"

Looking between Severus and Lucius, Harry sent a silent question, not even sure what exactly he was asking, and received nods of understanding from both of them. A single glance had Draco and the twins getting up and the four of them left the office to the adults.


End file.
